second night at Valerie's

I'm not sure how common it is, but in my family, we always celebrate the first two nights of Passover.

We are not a religious family, as evidenced by the brevity of the actual Seder rituals. But we do love the idea of celebrating Jewish traditions (and holidays in general), and Passover is an important one.

Tonight, 19 of us meet at Valerie and Abbey's. No one table can fit all of us, so my sister has beautifully set two.

Val and Abbey's stunning home is filled with people. Some are first-timers, as our family continues to grow.  It is nice to see the core family seamlessly expand with people who add humor, vibrancy and fun to the mix. 

But not everyone from our family can come. Jean and Jim are moving. Jack's in college. Sally's still living in Spain. Michael is in LA. Alexander is in Philly. And my dad is no longer with us. But here's a Passover that some of the missing did attend — also at Val's in 1993.

Hard to tell who's changed the most since then — maybe Adam.

Tonight I choose not to impose on people with my camera, but the faces are all beautiful and of all ages — from adorable little Chloe who is 18 months, to the great grandmas (Rita and Phyllis) who are a youthful 93 and 87 respectively. 

As usual, my sister has prepared the delicious food, all impeccably presented. 

The conversation flows and covers everything from new homes, the inauguration (that two attended), real estate, the retail business, an upcoming wedding, and much in between —though nothing too serious or controversial.

For a few hours, the rest of the world is kept at bay, as we celebrate another joyous Passover.