Did those of you celebrating Christmas have a nice holiday, in spite of COVID? Aside from foregoing any Large Gatherings, how did you adapt? What new tradition or innovation did you try?
For Etiquetteer, this was the year to attempt for the first time Dear Granny’s recipe for eggnog, which a cousin fortuitiously sent along. It’s a lot of work to fill one tiny glass, and you don’t work off as many calories as you drink, but it’s worth the effort! Here goes, Eggnog á la Granny:
INGREDIENTS (per person)
One egg, separated
One tablespoon bourbon (Etiquetteer used rum)
Sugar as desired
Whipping cream
METHOD
Beat egg yolk with manual egg beater (not electric) while dripping in bourbon one drop at a time, until palest yellow.
In separate bowl, beat egg whites until they thicken and peak, adding sugar as desired. (Etiquetteer just couldn’t quite get the egg whites that stiff.)
Fold whites into yolks carefully.
In separate bowl, whip cream with manual egg beater or wire whisk, adding sugar as desired. (Etiquetteer has no idea how much cream per person; just pour until it feels right.)
To serve, pour eggnog mixture into your very best cut glass punch cups, crystal sherry glasses, or jelly jars (this last from Dear Cousin), top thickly with whipped cream, dust with nutmeg, and serve with a Perfectly Proper cocktail napkin.
That napkin will truly come in handy for Gentlemen with Facial Hair, because there is a 90% risk of an Eggnog Mustache. Dear Cousin recommended serving with sterling silver teaspoons for scooping, and it’s not a bad idea. Eggnog parties were a Victorian tradition in the American South. Food Republic offers some good advice about how to serve eggnog for a Party Larger Than One.
Dear Etiquetteer:
Did you ever get a holiday card that was obviously sent only after they received your card? Not sure how I feel about those.
Dear Carding:
You’re implying that the sender’s attitude is more transactional than generous. But without knowing it, you’ve just described the Card Dispensing System adopted this year by That Mr. Dimmick Who Thinks He Knows So Much. And that came about just through getting started on cards in the second week of December and wanting especially not to miss anyone who had already sent one*. The winter holidays — all of them — celebrate generosity of spirit. Assume that those sending you holiday cards do so because they want to, not from any feeling of obligation.
Dear Etiquetteer:
I live near a couple in their mid-sixties, one of whom has had eye surgery and the other is not comfortable driving at night. They're of the opinion that only the elderly are getting the very serious cases of COVID19 and he all but refuses to wear a mask. (Masks are mandated everywhere in the state where we live so he grudgingly complies). The three of us were chatting on my front porch last night (from a social distance) and while we were trying to find Jupiter and Saturn she mentioned they had reservations for a local drive-through Christmas light show but that she wasn't thinking and wouldn't be able to drive them to it — but maybe a friendly neighbor would take them. (That'd be me.) I said something about being in a car together might not be a good idea. To which she questioned "Even with masks?" I playfully suggested that since they have a relative on the police force, maybe they could get a police escort.
All that is to ask, in the time of COVID19 where do you draw the line at being a good neighbor?
Dear Drawn:
Etiquetteer thinks you’ve just found where to draw that line, actually. In general Etiquetteer is very sympathetic with the needs of the elderly who have greater concerns about driving, and especially about driving at night. But a Christmas light show cannot be described as an essential outing, regardless of any mental health benefit**. And since your neighbors are taking a less careful view of the pandemic than you are, it’s much wiser for you to decline to drive them, even with masks on and all the windows down. You strike the right note with your light banter about luring their police relations to escort them. But were your neighbors to insist on your assistance, you would need to be gentle but firm: “My attitude about the pandemic is really stricter than yours, and I am just a lot less comfortable than you are in that situation. Thanks for respecting the choices I’m making for my health.”
*Etiquetteer keeps looking over his shoulder, and That Mr. Dimmick is still not finished. And today is the third day of Christmas!
**Christmas lights are beautiful, and therefore soothing to the spirit. The traffic problems and neighborhood disputes they sometimes spawn are not . . . but that’s a subject for another time.