The Red and the Green

I can’t help but think of the holidays as an equal-opportunity treasury of over-the-top delights for those who want to dig in and enjoy them. Seems evident to me that no matter what the origins–religious, practical, philosophical, historical, cynically greedy or purely spiritual–many holidays ultimately become part of the cultures from whose centers they spring. From there it’s a small progression for the holidays to gradually suffuse and/or be avidly imitated by hordes of people who had no previous connection to said origins. Thus we have masses of westerners rejoicing in the marvels of the Chinese New Year, loads of gentiles gathering around feasts of latkes and brisket and rugelach, and a secular Christmas celebrated by tens of thousands of people who’ve never set foot in a church.Happy holidays, y’all. I don’t doubt that there are some holidays, just like many other elements of the belief systems they represent, that are sacrosanct and oughtn’t to be co-opted by even the most well-meaning people, but if it’s done with a good heart and not with offensive intentions, there’s something childlike in the desire to share in everyone’s celebrations that still cheers my heart.I’m not even remotely related to those who go all-in to the degree of decorating every square millimeter of their homes and gardens, cooking and baking for weeks on end and stuffing the freezer to bursting, throwing extravagant parties for dozens of my closest friends, and sending out massive missives full of hilarious and heartwarming news about my astounding accomplishments from the last year and poetic best wishes for your own holiday celebrations and year to come. My version is oh so very much humbler, as of course it ought to be.I’m quite happy to embrace the good in any holiday that comes my way, though, so there are a few essentials on which I’ve focused my attention. Yes, there are a small number of sparkly white lights lining our front porch roof and touches of the requisite scarlet and Kelly green here and there. The holiday greeting cards that others have thoughtfully sent to us are hung on a broad gold ribbon between the living and dining rooms so as to broadcast their goodwill around the house. I’ve stocked the larder with a few favorite treats for all of us (Mr. Spousal Person, his parents and me), not least of all the requisite quantities of chocolate. Not that that item is limited to holidays, admittedly.

The best present I can give myself in celebrating any holiday whatsoever is, naturally, to surround myself with the love and joy of good company, whether eating chocolate or not. So I am sending out my best wishes to all of you lovely people for peace and happiness, good food, glimmering decorations, swell parties, and lots of love and joy throughout the celebration of all the holidays. And throughout a Happy New Year.

What’s-in-My-Kitchen Week, Day 5: Pretty Serving-Ware

A simple water pitcher is essential . . . but possibly not more so than a few sherry glasses . . .

I’m not one of those artistes whose inventory of objets magnifiques is so extensive that I can set a different table for every meal I make. But I do have a small collection of serving pieces that reflect my family history, our travels, random finds–a slice of life, if you will. I keep the usual selection of glassware for most kinds of libations required for the events in hand. Much of it is a conglomeration of what my spouse and I had when we got together, what we’ve been given over time, and what we’ve come across hither and yon and picked up for whatever reasons. Here’s a little show-and-tell.

Mom’s vintage Christmas plate gives a little color to the shelf where some of my thrift store stemware sits . . .

Venetian wineglasses keep company with the beautiful stem given to my husband when he conducted the Swedish Radio Choir in a broadcast from Berwaldhallen, Stockholm . . .

A wonderful fish-sculpted glass platter that our sister and brother-in-law brought to us from Scandinavia perches on the sideboard and oversees the kitchen . . .

I found some dandy Klimt-esque plates (top) and gilt leaf-edged ones at different shops and am stocked up for the occasions calling for hors-d’oeuvres, luncheons and desserts pretty neatly . . .

An assortment of fun silver, plated and pewter serving flatware helps me dish up whatever dishy goods I have at the table . . .

My set of dainty little coffee spoons includes some of my grandparents’ Norwegian wedding silver . . .

Some serving pieces *are* too precious to be used, of course: this antique rosemaling beauty is a little too fragile, so we enjoy its grace while keeping it hanging on the wall . . .

There’s more Scandinavian-influenced serveware, of course, in this place, that *is* usable: Mom’s old Berggren enamelware coffeepot keeps the coffee spoons company in my kitchen . . .

Great Grandpa (the tinsmith) made *this* coffeepot that’s too treasured to use, too . . .

Well, it’s almost midnight, so if I’m going to this post up on the actual correct day, I’d best stop showing off and push ‘send’. I mean Publish. But you’re probably not too worried. You know I’m still hanging about in the kitchen and ready to pester you yet again soon. Enough with this! It’s nearly bed time. And I need to get some sleep so I’ll feel like hauling out the serveware and making something to serve with it, no?

Sleep well, all!