Festive dinner

Time is ticking. It feels almost unreal to have finished setting the table before time. It never happens, yet it is true. You can feel that they are almost here. Still, there is one thing you have forgotten — the earrings and necklace you saved for this evening to celebrate the season so dear.

The ring at the door is almost in perfect timing with the last click of closing the necklace just put on, and with Nat King Cole singing White Christmas, the coats are taken off one by one, revealing the dresses so beautiful underneath. It is not a coincidence that everyone is dressed up, as this was supposed to be. One by one, champagne glasses settle in everyone’s hands, while laughter takes over the talks when it is time to sit down for a meal. There are no appetisers this time as there are no warm plates, too. It is meant to be an unforgettable evening of no one cooking whilst others eat. Everything, prepared in advance, has been laid on the table, decorated with the most adorable seasonal flowers so that for hours, no one needs to get up (except to get the wine).

Hours pass by in talks, joy, and laughter. Wine disappears with bites of soft-boiled eggs topped with roe, Caesar salad with squash, hummus with artichokes, and bread served with whipped smoked salt butter. It feels like you are almost complete when someone hands you a homemade rillette and salted trout with fennel. And the evening continues slowly, bringing a cheese board you enjoy with red wine poached pears, swearing that this is it, no more food this evening, when a slice of chocolate and coffee cake suddenly appears in front of you. You sigh, but another 10 minutes later, the plate is empty (one thing you will be grateful for the next day is that you did not leave any piece of this cake).

5 pm has turned into 11 pm. It is time to go home. Maybe after a cup of espresso. Or maybe after a glass of digestif. Who knows. There is no hurry. The season allows that. So you stay to enjoy.