Royal Abdication
By Sheila S. Moss, San Fernando Valley Branch
It’s been exactly two years since my “royal” abdication.” The local press ignored the news, but word spread to those who needed the information as quickly as buzzing bees.
You see, I had been a notable queen of the Important Holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas. A Queen who took pride in setting a fine table and serving a delectable feast. The eye had to be pleased from the place settings to the carefully crafted centerpiece.
Guests’ noses discerned the fragrance of the roasted turkey, homemade mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce cumulating in the wondrous rich taste of the exquisite feast.
The table was always preset with eighty-year Spode China in a whimsical colorful rose pattern. The cranberry sauce was placed in the ruby hobnail boat. Then came the light pink Fostoria wine and water goblets. Oh, did I mention, the linen tablecloth with the rich brocade design? The silverware was probably as old as the china. Both handed down to me after my mother’s death in the late Fifties.
My reign lasted almost thirty some years. The year was 2011. I was trying to turn the twenty-five pound bird around when I almost dropped it on my kitchen floor. This was not something I expected, and it was with sheer determination and a few prayers that I made a recovery a quarterback would be proud of. Needless to say, I saw it as an omen. I no longer could physically do the feast. Putting our respective heads together, Dave, the young son suggested going to Gelson’s for the next holiday. (Almost like going to Jared’s for your diamond engagement ring.) It was a lot easier, but I still found the bird too heavy. I had to wait for reinforcements.
When the next holiday approached, I flat out abdicated. No longer would mom do the two major holidays. The mantle was being handed down. Aaron called dibs on Christmas and Dave got Thanksgiving, 2014. Both sons were married with wives and children who would rise to the occasion.
My youngest son Dave was master of shortcuts. He went to Honey Baked Ham. He enlisted his children Kaya and Colin who designed the place cards (boats Christopher Columbus would be proud of. Each contained a slip of paper so the guests could write what he/she was thankful for.) They gathered Pyracantha boughs and some small pine branches and put them in a glass bowl. A cornucopia was filled with tangerines they had picked from their tree. The silverware shimmered and the paper plates were colorful and required no care. Being together made it a feast beyond compare. And the thankful slips? They were linked together in a chain for all to see.
When it came to Aaron’s turn he went to Costco for pre-cooked turkey breasts. He made his famous cranberry sauce and Rosa did the honors with her pumpkin pies. The table was colorful with sparking silverware, bone white china and silver-rimmed goblets. Ariana and Alyssa, like their cousins, did the place cards.
I feel my sons and their families wore the Royal Mantles well. It was another reason to be thankful and proud.
Sheila S. Moss ©2014