Last night's annual Epiphany party was one of the most delightful and inspiring from all the years we've been hosting them -- and that's saying quite a bit.The party formally ended our Christmas celebrations (now the decorations come down, the movies and music get stored away, the nativity scene comes off the front lawn, etc.) but, as it usually does, last night's gathering provided large and very welcome doses of goodwill, spiritual encouragement and stimulation to love and good deeds that will be of immense help in the year to come.
Present at this year's party were Quint & Carol, Chet, Allen & Cindy, Karla, newlyweds Ben & Jennifer and Claire and I. We tried a bold experiment last night with the supper (you can risk that kind of thing when it involves trusted friends) but it worked like a charm. We offered our guests a "Soup Bar" featuring their choice of two seasoned stocks to begin with (chicken or beef) and then we added whatever ingredients they checked off on their menus: ground beef, basil chicken chunks, crumbled crisp bacon, beef kielbasa, northern beans, black beans, tricolor fiori pasta, corn, fried onions, spinach, and bella mushrooms. Claire and I then prepared each portion and served them up in lidded stew bowls I brought back from Belarus.
At the table were carrots, olives, celery, different kinds of bread and cheeses, crackers and chips, and pomegranate punch.
It went swell.
Following dinner we crammed into our living room and darkened the electric lights, leaving the warm glow of the fire to provide the atmosphere for the next stage of the evening. We talked, drank coffee, and then listened together to Randy Travis' exquisite Christmas song "Labor of Love" and Dylan Thomas' own reading of "A Child's Christmas in Wales."
Then there was more conversation, more coffee and a special dessert. Keeping with the theme, we offered custom-made ice cream sundaes, complete with a variety of toppings, whipped cream and maraschino cherries.
And finally, we concluded the Epiphany party with our traditional practice of putting away the figures in our oldest nativity set. Each person present chooses one of the figures and offers a brief meditation, prayer or story related to that character of the Bethlehem account. Claire then wraps the figures up for next year.
The evening was something we will long treasure. Thank you to all who made it such a special night.
And, as long as we're thanking people, may Claire and I thank everyone who graced our Christmas season this year by coming to our parties. And, let's see, counting our nine at-home parties plus a family breakfast down at a Lincoln restaurant, that makes (we think) about 70 who helped make this holiday season one of our best of all time.
