The beauty of a holiday meal with family and friends is not just about eating food.

It’s about cooking together. Sharing recipes. Learning techniques.

It’s about telling stories. Even stories we’ve already heard. Especially stories we’ve already heard.

It’s about laughing with each other and laughing at ourselves.

It’s about tending to the needs of the moment. Refilling a drink. Clearing a table. Washing dishes. Cleaning up a spill.

For meals like these, food is only part of the equation. All the rest happens because of love.