T
o host a party, especially a holiday party, is to embark on an adventure. It's like being Odysseus on his vessel -- you have a destination in sight, and you have to handle all the shocks and surprises to which adventures are heir. It is an enjoyable task, but still one that admits success and failure, and the consequent pride or shame.
This was a good Thanksgiving. We navigated a turkey that got put in the oven too late; my divorced parents both coming, including my mother's new boyfriend; my young son's nap and dinner times; we played music for entertainment, read poetry and said our thanks, smoked cigarettes and talked about history. There was an unseasonal heavy snow that threw holiday all over the landscape. John rode in his first sled.
This was a good year for my family, and we were all very glad to be around one another. I think this is a very good house for family gatherings. Even its isolation might work in its favor in a certain way -- it's out of the world, and the normal rules don't apply. I hope it can grow to be an important place in many people's lives.