Tonight Passover begins, and this is also Holy Week. So much of the world’s population is used to gathering in person, with family or friends, to observe them. For Conscientious Citizens observing Perfectly Proper social distancing, this necessary isolation can feel poignant, depressing - all the bad things. You deserve better.
Perfect Propriety during this unique period involves flexibility, kindness, and yes, effort. Change in how one observes the Holiday of One’s Choice is inevitable. For those of us who value tradition, we have to be flexible in what we do. News outlets are reporting on how to observe Passover via videoconference. If that’s not a departure from tradition, Etiquetteer doesn’t know what is! This year’s Easter dinner challenge may be less getting everyone through the buffet line than it will be synching errant Zoom connections. Rolling with the punches, especially now, is the only possible Perfect Propriety.
We always hope that kindness is part of our spring holidays - even among children who find the same Easter egg at exactly the same time. This year Etiquetteer feels it’s important to emphasize not just kindness to others, but kindness to ourselves. For whatever reason, things just may not get done in as Perfectly Proper a way as we might like. And that’s Perfectly All Right. Imperfection may be the most perfect expression of Perfect Propriety this spring.
But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t make an effort at creating something special. Let’s face it, getting even the simplest things done can seem insurmountable when the future feels so clouded. (For instance last weekend Etiquetteer couldn’t even be bothered with dessert during the Dress Dinner Challenge.) But like an Expensive Well-Known Hair Coloring, we are worth it. We have one life, and we will not regain these days. Ironing a tablecloth may feel like rolling a boulder uphill. But to see it spread across a kitchen or dining room table with a couple candles and a flower in even a paper cup reinforces the stability of our home lives, no matter how momentary. As tough as it might feel, you are worth the trouble of a nice Holiday of Your Choice.
Whether you are observing a holiday this week or not, Etiquetteer wishes you health, safety, and Perfect Propriety. Stay home! The greater prudence you show in 2020 makes it more likely that you, and others, will observe holidays in 2021.