When my grandfather was a young man, he went hunting with Buffalo Bill and shot a moose. The moose head hung in his dining room above the buffet. Every year we went to his place for Christmas dinner, which was a very formal affair of turkey with chestnut dressing served on a silver platter by his maid. The moose was by far the most exciting part of the day. My younger brother tried to find the moose’s tail in the adjoining kitchen and was always getting in the way of the cook. I wondered, how did the cook and the maid have Christmas?
Today with my family we still have turkey with chestnut dressing, but we now take turns cooking, serving, and cleaning up. It is fun, close, and warm. I do not know what happened to the moose, but this year I hope someone will bring a dish towel emblazoned with the words, “Alexa, Do the Dishes!”
–Ethel Harris, Resident
