Be Our Guest, Be Our Guest, Put Our Service to the Test
My perfect Thanksgiving would look something like this one, which was at my sister’s house. Except with better lighting.
I’m hosting Thanksgiving this year for the first time ever! All previous iterations of this holiday were spent at parents’ or siblings’ homes, or abroad in Italy (my life is TOUGH). But this year, it’s in my new home. And it’s my chance to shine like the child of Nigella Lawson and a passing comet—that is, brightly and with delicious, beautiful food.
Since my parents are visiting from the East coast, the pressure’s on to be a gracious and accommodating host. So I’ve taken on a few things other than cooking to ensure a quality holiday, including:
- Washing my house. I’d say cleaning, but since we had an especially combative fly season this year, we may need to power wash the ceiling to rid it of bug guts, in addition to the regular dusting, sweeping, mopping, and sanitizing.
- Purchasing pantry items for my guests. My parents only drink terrible coffee, so I must purchase it and then scribble instructions on how to use my French press, with the express warning that they then must wash the press to prevent their terrible coffee from mixing with my decent coffee afterwards.
- Procuring necessary serving implements. Using forks to plop food on plates isn’t good enough. Plus, ever try to carve a turkey with a butter knife? Disaster. Must head to Williams-Sonoma, because no holiday dinner ever looked bad if the host spent time at Williams-Sonoma beforehand. Ooh, maybe I need a tartlet pan, too. Who doesn’t?
The lesson here is that Thanksgiving is more than just an excuse to eat until you explode. As a host, it’s also a chance to demonstrate that you are capable of both serving edible food and showing people a good time. So while I’m busting my butt to prepare for Thursday, I’m also looking forward to the symbolic step forward I’m about to take into adulthood as a holiday host. Which apparently means lots of undue stress—yay!
Best of luck with your Thanksgiving preparations, and have a wonderful holiday, everyone!
CLM | Nov 24, 2015
