Dear Reader,
I wasn’t sure if there was going to be a big Easter Egg Hunt at Grandma’s house this year, but when I asked my 16, 14, and 12 year old grandkids if the Hunt was on, immediately I heard, “Yes, yes, yes!” I was relieved and very happy. My backup plan, if the kids felt they were too grownup to look for Easter eggs, was to have the grandkids hide the eggs and the adults find them. Fortunately, I didn’t have to suggest that idea, because I’m sure, there would have been one or two adults in my group who wouldn’t have been able to let their inner “child” come out and play.
Bringing the family together to celebrate a holiday like Easter, I learned the “how-tos”' from my Grandma Hale. Her dining table always looked inviting. A fancy white tablecloth, the good china, polished silverware, the meal and desserts Grandma served were never a disappointment. I felt her love and that she was trying to create holiday memories for me. So I don’t know if my Grandma would approve, but for Thanksgiving, Christmas and now for this year’s Easter dinner, there won’t be china plates on my table. Instead, I’m using paper plates. Actually at first glance, the fancy, thick paper plates I used for Thanksgiving and Christmas looked like the real thing, so it was a little unnerving to toss them in the trash after dinner.
The holiday paper plate story started with a misunderstanding…
When my granddaughter, Bailey, visited this past Thanksgiving, I asked her if she would set the table while I went out to do an errand. I had purchased some fancy Thanksgiving paper plates for visiting relatives to use during the week. Bailey saw the paper plates next to the tablecloth and the water glasses I had decorated with ribbon and straw flowers, and when I returned, the table was set with the paper plates. The table setting looked adorable, and cleanup was going to be so easy. Yes, I loved the way the table looked, but I also felt guilty, because I was giving up some of Grandma Hale’s traditions. Was I getting lazy? Real plates to paper plates--it sounds like a silly concern as I type the words here.
But what ‘would’ Grandma Hale think?
Well, on second thought, Grandma didn’t have a dishwasher, so she might think it’s a pretty darn good idea.
To see photos of my Christmas and Easter paper plate settings, go to:
http://www.dearreader.com/photo/formal.html
Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.
Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]
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