Holidays and linens

When I was married and did a family dinner or a holiday with my ex's family over, I always had a tablecloth on the table with real napkins. I know some people are more casual and some much fancier. But these dinners to me were special so I went all out. My FIL (who has since passed away), grew up as a kid in Hell's Kitchen. He was a hard working man, a good man but rough around the edges.

However he just loved me and the kids. And so when he would come to my house for dinner that's how our table was set. He told me that he loved that I used REAL napkins. I didn't think much of that then.......but over the yrs when I learned about his life and how hard it was, it surprised me that a man would even notice that. .....and that he would even care. Maybe he thought that people who used them were well to do and so maybe he thought he had arrived ......I dont know. I just know he loved to come to our house.

This week my kids were here. Ive been sick and its been hard to get anything done. But I did put a holiday tablecloth on our usually naked table. I couldn't find the matching napkins. I do have a cabinet here tho , with all my freshly ironed napkins in it. And so I just pulled out some cream colored ones since I figure that would go with anything. They were a silky type fabric tho.

And so I feel now Ive come full circle........you see my bf sat down to Tday dinner and didn't like the napkin. He said he wanted a real one......and I laughed. It is real.....so he got up looking for a better one......I pointed him to the cabinet but apparently he didn't want those either. During our weekly dinners we use paper napkins...........that's what HE called a real one........I laughed.

Today while washing the linens I thought of all this......how I started out with real linens and my life has changed so much that real is now paper lol.

And then I thought of all the linens here in boxes that I probably will never use again. Im thinking I better get Ebaying lol.