The Christmas Dinner Challenge 2020

Christmas was going to be a very different celebration this year for Jan, Marcus and their family.

Thanks to COVID19 the guest list was definitely going to be depleted. To be precise there would only be three of them.

Their two daughters and their partners along with Marcus’s mother would all be missing from the Christmas Table.

The plan was to make a doorstep delivery of Christmas dinners to the absentees, then synchronise watches so that they could all zoom in at 2pm on Christmas day for lunch.

December 23^rd was peel all the veg day.

Christmas Eve was cook and deliver day.

Christmas day, zoom and eat day.  It sounded quite straight forward or so they thought.

“Marcus can you get the door, it’s the veg delivery” Jan shouted from the front bedroom as she stumbled trying to pull on her left slipper.

Marcus took delivery and placed the large box of fruit and veg in the utility room in readiness for Jan.

“Oh my days, surely not” Jan screamed”

“What, what is it” Marcus replied sounding concerned at her outburst.

“Carrots, we have no carrots, they forgot the carrots” Jan repeated and immediately went into panic mode.

“Ok I get it, we have no carrots it’s not the end of the world Jan” was Marcus’s nonchalant reply.

“You’re going to have to go out for some”.

“Are you mad woman? I am not going to Tesco or anywhere else for that matter in the middle of a pandemic for five or six carrots. They can all have an extra sprout”.

Jan rushed to the fridge where there were two carrots hiding in the salad draw. She picked them up, they were no use at all, nobody likes a bendy carrot

“My mother, I’ll ring my mother she will have carrots” said Jan with a positive tone.

“Why on earth would your mother have carrots? She’s coming to us for dinner”

“Mum it’s me. Jan”

“Oh hello dear no need to shout, I’m not deaf you know” replied Jan’s mum sounding insulted.

“Mum have you got carrots?” said Jan sounding quite desperate by this point.

“Have I got what dear?”

“Carrots, carrots have you got carrots”.

“Yes I think so dear about 4, I think”.

That will have to be enough thought Jan.

Panic over. Marcus set about washing, peeling and chopping the mountain of veg. He made himself a cup of coffee found his favourite channel on the television and quite happily began his mammoth task.

It was very peaceful in the house as Jan has driven to her mums to collect the emergency carrots.

On her return Marcus was greeted with.

“What have you done to the sprouts?” Jan asked walking into the kitchen shaking her head and looking in disbelief.

“What’s the problem?” Marcus asked not sure what Jan was having another panic attack about.

“The crosses go on the bottom of the sprout not the top “Jan said, sounding quite exasperated with him.

“I knew something wasn’t quite right but just couldn’t work out what it was. Not to worry I don’t think anybody will notice when they are covered with gravy”. Marcus said, while he began to chop the suede.

That evening the veg was all peeled and ship shape ready for the Christmas Eve big cook.

Two weeks prior Marcus had spent an exhausting hour and a half patiently (at first) teaching his mother to use zoom , ready for Christmas day. It turned out to be more of an endurance test and Marcus was losing the will to live when suddenly the light came on and Valerie got it.

He was now running through it again as both Jan and Marcus had visions of Christmas dinner being stone cold by the time Valerie had managed to make the zoom call.

The alarm was set for 7am on Christmas Eve, Marcus wanted the turkey in early as it was going to be a busy day cooking and delivering. The turkey had a reprieve and it actually went in the oven at 8.30.

The plan was to place the dinners in containers for easy transportation but Marcus realised that he was going to need a lot more than he already had.

So an emergency purchase of twenty extra small Chinese take away style plastic containers were ordered and received within break neck speed the previous day courtesy of Amazon Prime.

The containers were lined up across the kitchen work tops and one by one they began to fill up with Christmas day dinner.

“Did you not cook all the suede” asked Jan looking quizzically at the mashed suede ready to take its place next to the emergency carrots.

“I did indeed” replied Marcus as he began to strain the broccoli.

“And before you ask, I am not going suede shopping”.

Jan rummaged in the freezer and found some frozen suede mash which when it was cooked was added it to the already cooked suede, bulking it up quite nicely.

Suede disaster averted thought Marcus.

They now only needed to place the desserts in the remaining containers.

Jan had made individual chocolate puddings topped with white and dark chocolate shavings and a white chocolate button, delicious warmed and topped with cream. Feeling very proud of her baking skills she placed them in their respective containers.

The last job was to snap down the lids and place a named post it note on each one.

Marcus and Jan donned their Santa hats and loaded the three bags into the car.

When the Christmas dinner deliveries had been made they both collapsed onto the sofa with a much deserved glass of wine each.

Christmas morning began with Jan collecting her mum. Joan was ready and waiting on the front door step in her sparkly Christmas blouse  and faux fur jacket,  clutching her overnight bag.

“Merry Christmas Mum”

“Merry Christmas dear, does my hair look all right?” asked Joan as she fussed with the back of it.

“Lovely mum, come on lock up and let’s get you in the car”.

When they arrived back home Marcus had already placed the television set at the head of the dining table in preparation to receive the family.

It looked a bit odd sat on the beautifully decorated Christmas table but this was an unprecedented Christmas. In fact that word unprecedented must have been the most over used word in 2020. But it certainly fitted the bill.

“It’s almost 2 o’clock and there’s nobody on the telly yet” shouted Joan from the dining room.

She had taken her place at the dining room table and was ready and waiting for the rest of the family to virtually arrive.

As Marcus placed the dinners on the table Valerie popped up on the screen. She could be seen but not heard.

“Take yourself off mute mum” shouted Marcus.

“Mum you are still on mute “Marcus shouted again. But to no avail.

“Merry Christmas Valerie” Joan shouted at the telly.

“No need to shout mum, just talk normally” Jan said rolling her eyes at Marcus.

So Joan was shouting and Valerie was on mute, great start.

Marcus and Jan sat down to Christmas dinner just as Lisa and Andrew popped up on the screen.

So the only two people missing were April and Mat it appeared there was a problem with their connection.

Suddenly Valerie was no longer on mute and both her and her dog could be heard quite clearly.

Half way through lunch April and Mat appeared along with Douglas Dog who wanted to get in on the act. Doug’s barking immediately alerted Millie who came bounding into the dining room with tail wagging desperately looking for Douglas.

Things settled down and there was lots of virtual laughter and opening of presents.

Jan wondered what her dad and father in law would have thought about all this madness. Sadly they he had both passed away and was greatly missed.

It was time for desserts. Everybody disappeared off the screen to warm their chocolate puds.

“Ok who has extra pudding” quizzed Jan.

Unlucky for Jan, Marcus and Joan it would seem their desserts had been delivered to one of their virtual guests.

“I think that could be us” admitted April laughing.

So after all Jan’s hard work making delicious desserts for everybody the cooking house ended up with mince pies and cream while the virtual guests thoroughly enjoyed homemade chocolate pudding.

It had indeed been a very different Christmas but it was one they would never forget. It had been a challenge but everybody ticked the “it was fun” box and agreed it had been a great success.