By Tedra Schneider
Room 911
Tedra Schneider.
There is something about the holidays, hosting and house that are forever joined.
We want our homes to look perfect, with a tablescape that could be featured in Better Homes and Gardens, a house so clean that you could eat off the floor and “a place for everything and everything in its place.”
Any joy left to the holidays may no longer be felt after the amount of effort you expend making sure the house is decorated just so.
You dread that your place settings for 12 may have chips and scratches in them or that you have only nine matching wine glasses but need three more.
Should you buy a new set of wineglasses or are you willing to mix and match? Where is the vase that goes on the table and the matching napkins and tablecloth? Now you remember: six of the napkins were stained beyond repair and you threw them out. The tablecloth got mixed up with your summer whites that you have put somewhere for next year.
You try and add a bit of the season to your living room with dried autumn leaves in a vase. Sitting on the coffee table is a lovely bowl with assorted nuts in their shells, as well as a basket of potpourri filled with the essence of cloves, nutmeg and long cinnamon sticks. What could be easier than that?
Well, do you remember last year when your little grandchild tried to stuff in the round hard-shelled nuts into his mouth? Surely you can’t forget when Buster, your dog, decided that the long cinnamon sticks were actually a chewy treat and nearly consumed all of them?
Last but not least is the guest bathroom. Shoul you use the ugly hand towels that aunt Betty got you for Christmas (she will be attending the Thanksgiving Day feast) or opt for disposable ones? What about the hand soap? Should you get one that smells of warm notes of vanilla and roasted almonds or one that has hints of pinecones and the forest floor?
Here’s the answer. Mix and match plates, silverware, wineglasses, napkins and the like as long as you have a solid color tablecloth anchoring this all down. You will have an imaginative, interesting table with various pieces bringing back family memories. Throw all your extraneous items into boxes and off they go into the basement.
After all, what is Thanksgiving if not a time to celebrate family and friends being together? Don’t focus on your house looking perfect. Instead, take in the delicious aromas of the food and live in the moment of peace and harmony – at least until someone brings up next year’s presidential race.
Tedra Schneider can be reached at restagebytedra@gmail.com.