Advent Love

Christmas Day Brunch
By Rebecca Garrett Pace

“Hey, Rebecca, could you write a blog about brunch?”
“I like brunch. Sure.”

So yeah, that’s how this came about. My blog posts are usually about melancholy things, so this should be a nice change.

What do I like about brunch?
I like brunch because, in general, the food agrees with me. My stomach is very, very, very sensitive. Anyone who has ever tried to cook dinner for me knows this. “Do you have any food sensitivities?” “Well… how long do you have?” So brunch is nice, because typically things like eggs and biscuits and fruit and muffins all sit fairly well. 

I like brunch because it usually happens on special days. Work days, concert days, even normal weekend days – all these require a shorter, smaller, faster breakfast like oatmeal or yogurt. Brunch means there’s time. Time to savor the food. Time to talk about more than just niceties. Time to let your food digest. Brunch means there’s most likely someone with whom to share the meal – friends, family, community. 

I like brunch because it reminds me of my dad. He loved making pancakes and bacon for brunch or breakfast-for-dinner, and because he was allergic to eggs, he had his own egg-free pancake recipe that was extra light and fluffy and buttery. When we didn’t eat at home, we would go out to Shoney’s (I just had to google that to see if there were even any left anymore, and there are! Anyone want to take a roadtrip to rural Tennessee?) and have their breakfast buffet, complete with cottage cheese and canned pears because even as a child I was an old lady.

This Sunday is Christmas Day, and this is your official invitation to join me for brunch. Because the food is good (you’re welcome to bring something to share, but you don’t have to). Because there’ll be time to breathe. Because we’ll hear the Christmas story read and poetry shared, and we’ll get to sing a couple carols together. Because there’s a place for you at the table, whether you’ve got droves of family in town whom you’d like a break from, or you’re alone this Christmas and need community around you. Because sharing a meal is worship in and of itself.

See you at brunch. I’ll leave the cottage cheese and canned pears at home this time. Probably.

Christmas Day Brunch 10:00 a.m. in the Parlor.