Apparently, when you combine Halloween decorations, a Thanksgiving-style family gathering, and a little early Christmas gift giving, you get HallowThanksMas. And at our house, you celebrate it with lasagna.
My mom and her partner are heading south for the winter, so we wanted to get everyone together before they left. It was also my first big dinner party in our dining room, which made it feel like an occasion worth celebrating all on its own.
The room is still a work in progress. We have new floors, but they’re covered with heavy protective paper because there’s more work to do in the area. The kitchen has new flooring too, which you can see in my picture—along with a very real, very busy kitchen. There was quite a bit happening in there!
But there was room for everyone, and I was ready to fill it.
During the week before the gathering, I washed tablecloths, serving pieces, china, and glasses. I got the tables ready and made sure the things I might need were easy to grab. The fall tablecloths and little glass pumpkins helped the dining room feel festive, even with paper under our feet.
One of my favorite parts was getting out the china. For dinner and dessert, we used dishes that had belonged to my grandparents on my mom’s side. For appetizers, I used china my dad had given me from the set he and my mom had when they were married. It felt good to have those dishes out for another family gathering.
Outside, the Halloween decorations were still up. Inside, it was all fall and pumpkins. Add a few gifts before Mom’s winter departure, and HallowThanksMas was taking shape.
We had decided on Italian food, so Saturday became lasagna day. With different dietary needs in the family, that meant a few versions: one vegetarian and gluten free, another gluten free with meat, my homemade vegan ricotta, and goat cheeses, plus two smaller pans with regular noodles, meat, and regular dairy.
Four pans of lasagna. There would be options.
I also made three kinds of homemade gluten-free crackers that day. In hindsight, lasagna and crackers probably deserve separate days on the calendar. I was glad to have both done, but next time I think I’ll spread that part out a little more.
Sunday morning, I made bread. By then, most of the preparation was behind me, which was exactly what I’d hoped for. I wanted to enjoy having everyone over.
We gathered around 11:30: Mom and her partner, my sister and her husband, their daughter and her partner, my aunt, and my husband and sons. My aunt had a flight to catch, so we started with appetizers and visiting before she needed to leave.
And there were plenty of appetizers.
I put out two kinds of olives, grilled and marinated artichoke hearts, two varieties of Marcona almonds, my homemade crackers, and crackers my sister brought. There were three kinds of cured meats, including salami, along with Cougar Gold, Manchego, and goat Gouda.
This is the part where I really wish I had remembered to take a picture. I have photos of the tables getting ready and the lasagnas before baking, but somehow missed the whole appetizer spread. Once everyone arrived, taking pictures apparently slipped right off my list.
My aunt was happy to visit and enjoy the appetizers without staying for dinner, so after she left, we moved on to the lasagna. We had sourdough and gluten-free breads, Caesar salad, and fruit salad alongside it. After all that preparation, it was lovely to finally have everyone there eating together.
My sister brought dessert: gluten-free apple crisp and pumpkin pie, with coconut ice cream and coconut whipped topping. I also put out leftover Halloween candy and candy corn, because it was HallowThanksMas, and those seemed entirely appropriate.
Somewhere in the middle of all the eating, visiting, and a little gift giving, we watched football and enjoyed a Seahawks win. I think the group went through about four bottles of wine over the course of the gathering. We had plenty to eat and a very nice time together.
Looking back, I’m glad I spent the previous week getting things ready. Even washing the glasses and gathering serving dishes ahead of time helped. There was still bread to bake and food to put out on Sunday, but I got to enjoy the day I’d been preparing for.
I would have liked more pictures—especially of the food and everyone around the tables. But I’m happy to have these glimpses of the preparations: the fall tablecloths, the little pumpkins, the stacks of family china, and all those pans of lasagna.
Our dining room has officially hosted its first big family dinner. The floors are still under paper, there’s still work to finish, and next time I’ll give the crackers their own day.
I’d call our first HallowThanksMas a success.
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