One blended family. Eight people who know best. Fifteen seating plans in forty-eight hours. Bless their hearts.
Patterned china and crystal glasses line a long wooden table. The napkins are tied. The son and his sister have handled the traditions. Now they are handling the relatives.
The good china is out. The seating plan is still accepting appeals.
He wants everybody under one roof. She would like them there at the agreed time. Their father has asked about the gym. His wife has asked whether there’s room for the dogs. The new girlfriend is bringing wine. The original wife is bringing her husband.
Sixteen pairs for the people around that table. You may recognize a few of them.
The new girlfriend, still optimistic
She has a career to build and a fairly glamorous idea of her future. Her boyfriend supplies jewelry, New York plans and, one Christmas, a pedigree toy poodle. His sister arranged the puppy collection. The dog has an impeccable family tree and no intention of making anything of herself. The girlfriend has enough ambition for both of them.
Peach Court Sneakers
Soft blush panels and little peaches for life beyond the office
Diamond Print Low Tops
The jewelry habit has apparently spread to footwear.
The prodigal son
He is sharp with numbers, enjoys a card table and has several persuasive reasons they should already live in New York. Ask him about Bitcoin when you have nowhere else to be. Christmas is where he gets sentimental. He and his sister are carrying the traditions forward, and he wants the whole family there. He keeps saying “everybody” as though it is a confirmed number.
Poker Court Sneakers
For the card player who always has a theory.
Bitcoin High Tops
For the conversation that was supposed to take five minutes.
New York Court Sneakers
For the address he is still working on.
The father who has scheduled retirement
He is retired in the sense that he no longer gets paid for being this busy. There is a workout to finish and protein to organize. Mention baseball and he may stand up to demonstrate. Mention a plane and you will get the specifications. He regards this as a relaxing holiday.
Airplane Court Sneakers
For someone who always knows what is flying overhead.
Baseball Sport Shoes
For the season he can still describe inning by inning.
New York Sport Shoes
A skyline print for his very firmly established gym routine.
The much younger third wife, first in command
She grew up in Florida, teaches exercise classes and can persuade a roomful of adults to do another set. At home, the bulldog will not get off the sofa. The Shiba Inu has declined to comment. Both have preferred blankets and firm views on where they belong. Her husband is expected to be more adaptable.
English Bulldog Sport Shoes
For Otis’s most devoted representative.
Shiba Inu High Tops
For the other child.
Florida High Tops
For the allegiance that predates both dogs.
The sister: sorority queen, family social chair
His half-sister, from their father’s second marriage, went to college in Tuscaloosa. “Roll Tide” remains a perfectly adequate answer to most questions. She has a game-day outfit planned down to the earrings, a Shih Tzu with its own luggage and a sorority group chat that never adjourns. She and her brother are keeping the Christmas traditions going. He wants everyone together. She will tell them what time.
Burgundy Red Sneakers
For Saturdays when the color has already been decided.
Shih Tzu High Tops
For an attachment that needs no explanation.
His mom. Original wife. Happily remarried.
She lives in the foothills with her second husband and sends photographs of horses. Occasionally he is visible behind one. She has done the stables before anyone else has found the coffee. Her eldest son explains his New York plans. She listens, then tells him how much paddock space he could buy instead. She is not sure the city has thought this through.
Horse Court Sneakers
For the person who recognizes the horse before its rider.
The stepfather with an outdoor plan
He checks the weather before the group chat. It has proved a more reliable source of information. His hunting dogs come when called. He has had less success with the family. He is ready to take anyone outside, provided it fits around dinner. The social chair will let him know when that is.
Hunter Woodland Camo Sneakers
For the next departure through the back door.
The younger half-brother whose time is becoming valuable
The mom’s younger son is at technical college learning a trade. This has made him unexpectedly popular in a family with a long list of things that “should only take a minute.” He is offering dates after Christmas. First, he would like to finish his dinner.
