Christmas · The host · Short · about 30 seconds
Short Christmas Toast for Someone Who Can't Be Home
A mom hosting Christmas dinner the first year her daughter couldn't get the days off from a new job abroad, wanting to include her without making the table sad about it.
Given by Bettina, hosting while her daughter is overseas. 62 words. The names are made up.
The toast
Quick one before we eat.
Ottavia couldn't get the days off from her new job in Lyon, so she's not here. She did mail her ginger cookies, like every year.
They arrived as about two pounds of crumbs. They're in the blue bowl with a spoon. Eat them anyway, and send her a photo.
Glasses up. To Ottavia, and to the crumbs.
Why it works: The daughter is there through something she did this week, not through how much she's missed. The crumbs give the room a laugh and something to do for her, and the last line is the joke said once more.
Make it yours
Borrow the shape, not the lines. Put your own people, your own year and your own detail in each spot, or answer a few questions and get a first draft built from them.