At Thanksgiving there is turkey and stuffing and mashed potatoes and gravy, of course, but we also have roasted butternut squash, a Brazilian-inspired spinach, yellow turnips, scalloped oysters, and roasted brussels sprouts.
At Christmas it's roast beef and mashed potatoes, but also popovers, asparagus, salad, and a vegan option for the non-carnivores.
On New Year's Day we eat ham, black-eyed peas, and greens, but we add pan-fried chicken, rice, and corn, and this year a little red-eye gravy to spice things up.
And finally, on the twelfth day of Christmas, the Epiphany, which is also my dad's birthday we eat his favorite meal in memory of him: chicken, white gravy, mashed potatoes, and biscuits.
These traditions are both festive and comforting. They connect the celebrations of today with those of yesterday, and draw us close. Tomorrow we will take the tree down and put away the sparkles and lights until next year, and in the coming weeks, as the days slowly lengthen, our meals will become lighter.
But tonight?
There will be gravy.
At Christmas it's roast beef and mashed potatoes, but also popovers, asparagus, salad, and a vegan option for the non-carnivores.
On New Year's Day we eat ham, black-eyed peas, and greens, but we add pan-fried chicken, rice, and corn, and this year a little red-eye gravy to spice things up.
And finally, on the twelfth day of Christmas, the Epiphany, which is also my dad's birthday we eat his favorite meal in memory of him: chicken, white gravy, mashed potatoes, and biscuits.
These traditions are both festive and comforting. They connect the celebrations of today with those of yesterday, and draw us close. Tomorrow we will take the tree down and put away the sparkles and lights until next year, and in the coming weeks, as the days slowly lengthen, our meals will become lighter.
But tonight?
There will be gravy.
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