Hungry Holidays

By Gordon Hopkins It is a familiar refrain for Americans as they stand in line at the department store with an armful of toys and trinkets or sit at a computer, making those last-minute online purchases of the latest electronic gadgets: Christmas has become too commercialized. Every year, folks complain that we have forgotten the importance of this holiday, of any holiday, in fact.That's right. Food!Really. The importance of a family getting together for that big family meal cannot be overstated. It is especially true today, where the regular family dinner seems to be fading into the past along with pay telephones and good manners.Christmas is often thought of as mostly for the kiddos, thanks to all the toys and that fat guy with the white beard. (Irrelevant aside: It may be time for a diet and a shave. Just the other day, for the first time in my life, I was walking downtown and some little girl across the street, holding hands with what I assume was her mother, pointed her free hand in my direction and shouted, “Santa!”)That big family meal, however, where everyone gets together, is more important to the adults in the room. Growing up means getting your own life, your own schedule, your own home. Even if you live near your family, there is a good chance you don't see them on a regular basis. If you live at least a state away, or more, you may only see them on those “big family meal” days like Thanksgiving and Christmas, or at important milestones, like graduations and parole hearings.You don't realize just how important it is until it isn't an option. I spent ten years living on the West Coast, with most of the rest of my family here in Nebraska. More often than not, I was unable to travel for the holidays, due to work schedules or finances or both. I was younger and had different priorities in those days, so it didn't bother me a whole lot, or so I told myself.The biggest problem I faced back then was that most every business was closed on the holidays. Not being much of a cook and, even if I was, I was certainly not inclined to cook, I had to figure out what to eat at least a day in advance. That might sound like not much of a big deal to you but in those days I lived mostly on take-out, so I wasn't normally deciding on what to have for dinner until I got off work.I developed my own Christmas tradition. The day before, I would get on a bus (I had no car in those days) and head to Kentucky Fried Chicken. Sorry. I know it has been years but I just can't bring myself to call it KFC. Its just too stupid. Acronyms are for government agencies and diseases with really long, unpronounceable names, not fast food. I would buy the biggest bucket of chicken I could and stick it in the fridge. I then lived on cold fried chicken for the next three days.I'm not telling this story to feel bad for me. I'm simply trying to illustrate the importance of those family get-togethers.Anyway, now I am back in Nebraska and I don't spend holidays alone anymore.Of course, there is still the question of what to eat. In my family, Thanksgiving dinner is traditional, with turkey and stuffing and cranberry sauce and enough gravy to drown a llama. Some of the sides may vary but the basics are immutable.Christmas dinner is another matter. It is more flexible. Most in my family agree it is too soon after Thanksgiving for another turkey, especially those who have to cook it.A ham or roast beef was often an obvious alternative. As time progressed, however, the meal became more casual. This year, my sister is preparing a collection of appetizers. No main course, no side. Just nibbles. I am definitely looking forward to it. Although I could still go for some fried chicken.

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