I have a table in my home that is quite possibly 100-years-old.  My grandmother owned it before my mother and it was passed down to me nearly thirty years ago.  In fact, I think my great-grandmother owned it before my grandmother so it’s been an important part of our family for several generations.  This solid oak table folds down to a 40” square spaciously seating four, however you can seat nearly thirty people around it when you add all the leaves.

Christmas is what I remember most about the table.  Growing up, we anticipated the arrival of aunts and uncles, grandmas and grandpas, and other guests.  A lot of work went into setting the table.  White linens were pulled out of drawers for covering.  Never would one tablecloth do the trick so you had to get linens that were similar and layer them.  Handmade centerpieces and candles were added.  The fine china and stemware were taken out of their protective display cabinets and gently placed at each setting.  The silver came out which had been polished days before, and cloth napkins were beautifully folded and added as a finishing touch.  It was a masterpiece!

Anything appearing out of place was gently nudged as we awaited the arrival of family, and first conversations often focused upon the beauty of the table.  Once everyone was present and the food was ready, dad would carry out the honor of assigning seats.  You did not sit at the table until dad had invited you to be seated at the place he had chosen for you.  The Christmas table was a heartwarming place that had an impact on us even as young children.  We looked forward to each year as it was always the center of where we would fellowship with one another before getting into the gift exchanges and visiting.  

Now don’t think it was all so sentimental and serious.  There were some spectacular food tossing moments between my siblings and I and some of their offspring.  Grandmothers would gasp as ham pieces flying down the length of the table cozied up to a mound of mashed potatoes and gravy.  Food tossing became a work of art and was never to exceed the rim of the plate at any time.  Trust me when I proclaim tossing fresh baked rolls across the room happened in homes long before it became popular at Lambert’s Café!

The table was the one aspect of Christmas that brought us together to celebrate.  A lot of things would vie for our attention throughout the year, but the Christmas table always called us home.  We don’t celebrate as an extended family around the table any more.  After my dad passed away, life changed our family dynamics.  My brothers were married with children of their own so the first Christmas without dad was celebrated in individual homes.  My mom and oldest brother had a quiet Christmas Eve dinner at a lovely little lodge in Green Mountain Falls.  We just couldn’t bring ourselves to gather around the table without Dad.  Since then, new traditions have come about but never has it been like those spent around the Christmas table.