The lace tablecloth that is used to dress my family’s dinner table every holiday, is the same one that set my Mother’s, Grandmother’s, and Great Grandparent’s. The tablecloth has been in our family for generations and each holiday, as it makes its way back to the table, there is a presence that comes along with it. Woven into its pattern are memories of holidays and loved ones of the past. The spirit of my great-grandmother and all of her holiday traditions come alive and it's as if her place at the table is all around us. Growing up, it was as if the tablecloth entranced my siblings and I, causing us to eat with the utmost attention and cautiousness to avoid hearing our mother scream as she found a rather conspicuous stain from a lunchtime spill. Seeing our holiday tablecloth make its way out of its place in our china cabinet and onto our table signified the start of the holiday season and celebration of our family past and present. You know what meals and traditions are to come when you see the tablecloth, but the most special thing of all is that you are reminded of whose love and traditions you are carrying on.

– Gemma Goldenbaum

Relationship:  Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more