It’s November, so it’s officially the holiday season!
I am inspired by @tommie.frazier’s gesture last year where he sent me a handmade candle (made of an NA beer bottle at that!) and I am making some quilted bowl cozies for anyone in my life who wants one. They’re microwave safe and apparently very well received, per my quilter friends who have made them.
If you’d like one mailed to you in another 6 weeks or so, I am happy to send one. It would require you dropping an address - but I promise not to do any stalking in return!
You can request a holiday themed one, or a specific color way; I’m happy to oblige requests as long as they’re made in November AND I have the fabric on hand to accommodate.
I’ve started thinking about Thanksgiving dinner. One of my sons has celiac and one of my brothers is a dairy-free pescatarian (plus a couple of other restrictions), so now I find myself googling gluten free vegan recipes.
Gluten-free, vegan pumpkin pie tasted okay, but it was undercooked. My son liked the spice level, although I think I’ll tone it back some when I try it again.
We’ve got 20 or so for Christmas this year. Some (adults) have dietary restrictions. We let them eat what they want to eat, and bring their own if they must.
The Turkey is dairy-free. The mashed potatoes are not. Very not (butter, heavy cream, milk).
For Thanksgiving, roasting a turkey, then traveling half an hour.
Well the other option is to set the baseline for the food to the dietary restrictions. Then everyone can eat the same thing. That’s typically what I do.
I’m married. I eat stuff I would prefer not to quite regularly.
The alternative is to either go hungry, or worse, comment on what someone took time to prepare for me. Left as an exercise for the reader as to what the expected reaction to that is, and I would agree.
I mentioned something a while ago that maybe we didn’t have to have that anymore, because maybe I don’t want to eat that ever again. Queue shock, I’ve been eating that for 30+ years and now I don’t like it? No, I’ve just never said anything.
I am also. I never do. Part of the process wife and I agree to is asking the other what they want, agreeing to prepare and eat, and then cooking it. Non-cooker cleans up. Pretty simple arrangement.
With 20 people? No. It’s Christmas, you know what we are serving. Prepare something else for yourself (or in the case of a niece-in-law, have nephew prepare) if you don’t want to eat what I’m providing. No judgment, we’ll make room in the kitchen, plenty of food for the rest and leftovers for me.
And some of these folks are traveling 2000+ miles (staying ananAirBnB that might be nicer than my own house. But nearby, we have Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s and Erewhon and a few stores that cater to certain ethnicities with vegetarian preferences, and plenty of time to plan those excursions. I won’t ban any food, and I might actually want a taste.
This is my side of the family. We are also inviting some of my wife’s family (population 40, but only 4 total with my sons and S.O.s) for Christmas Breakfast that is lots of animal goodness like bacon and quiches and bacon in quiches, French toast casserole. And my family will be there as well, cuz 7-year-old great-nephew opening presents, and it’s Christmas and I don’t see these folks very often. Barely once a year for some.
In a rare moment of sincerity from me, I am grateful for the community I have with many of you. You’ve been friends and confidants in the tough times, pals who have made me laugh most days, and occasional admirers of my quilts. I am thankful for your friendship.
