There is an almost magical quality about the table - the way it ignites the senses. The sound of voices and clinking silverware; the smell of spices; the taste of cinnamon; the sight of our people; the feel of glasses and bread in our hands. Whenever I have guests, I try to coax them out of the kitchen and into other rooms, but it never works. They stay where they’re comfortable – around the table.
My favorite childhood memories happened around the table. It was where I ate my grandmother’s biscuits and chocolate pie, where my mother cut out cookie dough, and where the entire extended family made tamales out of corn husks and a sticky white substance resembling (and tasting like) paste. When it wasn’t being used for food, the table was the gathering place for Uno, Gin Rummy, and the serious business of Euchre. It was where my grandpa taught me to roll handmade cigarettes (an acceptable activity for small children in the 70s) and the place we came together to discuss, banter, debate, and confess.
Some of us will have a full and joyous table this Christmas– one where the conversations are so interesting and the company so beloved that nobody leaves their seat for fear of missing a single moment. For others, the table may be difficult this year. Perhaps someone is missing or there are ruptures that have yet to be repaired. The table may simply be a place to lay down burdens and find brief respite.
Wherever we find ourselves, let’s not waste our tables this season. Let’s set open tables that bring people together through the passing of food and the sharing of stories. Tables that always find room for one more; that draw people from their private corners and weave them together in one shared space; that offer a trail from labor to rest.
Let’s ignore those voices that tell us our culinary skills are lacking or our home is too small. People want to be invited far more than they want to be impressed. It is sacred work to set a table where people make eye contact, connect, and linger. A table that says come, sit, stay - you belong here.
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