The old saying goes, God laughs when you make plans. Well, I guess God is having a good ole belly laugh right now!
As you likely assume, based on the subject matter of this blog, I had a delightfully vintage Christmas planned. I had plans to make cookies, fudge, and Christmas puddings. I had plans to make a classic 1940’s Christmas dinner menu out of my Good Housekeeping Cook Book. I had plans to scour the local antique stores for charming decorations from days past. I had plans to curl up in front of the fire with a bowl of popcorn and watch White Christmas, Christmas in Connecticut, and It Happened on Fifth Avenue. Oh, I had plans alright.
But it seems God had other plans. More modern plans, shall we say. The most modern plans possible, in fact.
Instead of carols and cookies, this year we are celebrating with…coughing and Covid! All of us. Myself, the Mister, my Maman, and my Belle-mère all managed to catch the dreaded Covid after avoiding it for nearly 4 years.
Instead of sipping mulled wine, we’re doing shots of liquid cold medicine. Instead of baking my favorite Pfeffernuse cookies, I baked banana bread. (And yes, that was entirely unintentional. I had bananas that were about to go off and needed to use them. It wasn’t until I was halfway through mixing the batter that I remembered the Great Banana Bread Bake-Off of 2020.) Instead of misting the air with the essence of pine, we’re spraying Lysol.
What can I say? It’s the perfect ending to what has truly been a textbook definition of an annus horribilis. Bah humbug.
That being said, it could be much worse and for that I am very grateful.
One bright spot this year has been the commencement of this blog. Though it is most certainly in its infant stages, I have big plans for the coming 12 months. 2024 marks the 80th year gone by since 1944 and I am excitedly planning many posts. I’ve only just dipped my little toe in the waters that are the recipes in my Good Housekeeping cookbook and I look forward to sharing an abundance of recipes, in addition to more posts on fashion, the arts, and mid-century life in general. I hope you’ll come along for the ride.
Until we meet here again, I hope you celebrate the end of 2023 in good health.
Joyeux Noël et bonne année!
Dispatches from 1944 