Every year for the past seven years we have had a king cake party, where we serve a galette des rois. The big almond-filled pastry is served in France at the beginning of January, and whoever bites into a piece with the ceramic "bean" (usually a porcelain tile) gets to wear the crown. Of course, ours is Berkeleyized, with homemade galettes--one was vegan of course--and gaudily decorated crowns. It is a fun way to incorporate a French tradition into our lives while visiting with friends who have usually been away for the holidays.
Seven years ago, none of our friends had children. Now we are hosting
parties with almost ten children all under the age of five. I think it is common for people to experience an epiphany when
they see their house full of kids and think, "Wow, my life has officially changed. My
parties are now menageries." We went through only one bottle of wine for a house full of people. People actually drank the juice. There were kids playing puzzles in the living room, others playing on the mini-piano in the dining room, another riding a rocking horse. Our son wandered from room to room, smiling and waving his hand around. He had an air about him that exuded, "Welcome to my castle. Feel free to touch things."
Our son only had a nibble of the galette, but he loved the social aspect of the party. Even though he's recovering from being cranky sick all week, he kept it together and was meltdown free. It reminded me that as we share this tradition with our son, we are also teaching him about hosting people in his space, sharing his things, and being socially pleasant even when he is not in a good mood. And so our tradition will continue, menagerie and all.
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