Meanwhile back at the house, my invited guests started to appear for the festivities. The first to arrive were my parents, Anne and Jeffery Wilbert. They were older now of course, but still made a fine looking couple. My mother looked like she couldn’t wait to give me a lecture on something. I tried avoiding her. Some things don’t change.
Jody had spared no expense decorating the house for the Christmas holidays. Holy and pine branches, cranberries strung with green ribbon, and artificial snow that sparkled with silver tinsel was everywhere. The place really looked fantastic. You could smell the fragrance of the pine needles.
Jody’s plans called for a week of buffet style meals. Brunches featured eggnog French toast, scrambled shrimp and chive eggs, Vermont smoked bacon, and almond bourbon croissants. Sumptuous dinners featured prime ribs of beef, huge smoked hams, crabmeat stuffed Maine lobsters, and roast turkey with sausage and sage stuffing.
The table abounded with all kinds of jell-o molds, sweet potato soufflés, local vegetables, and every conceivable kind of pie. A huge chocolate Yule log decorated with white meringue mushrooms and green marzipan leaves served as the centerpiece.
Guests had their choice of orange juice mimosas, fine wines or hard liqueur and Tequila Sunsets: all served by a staff of cooks, waiters, and barmen hired for the occasion. I started tasting the Tequila Sunsets early to be sure they were being made right.
Jody figured that guests would come and go as they pleased. Most just came and stayed. Some of them didn’t even bother to go back to the motel to sleep. There was a sense of jovial holiday spirited chaos.
#####
An excerpt from my novel Johnny Oops. Have a merry Christmas and a happy New Year.
Regards,
Arthur Levine
No comments:
Post a Comment