Thanksgiving · Family member · Warm · about a minute
New Baby's First Thanksgiving Toast (Warm, 1 Minute)
A new mother toasting at her baby's first Thanksgiving, seven weeks after the birth, when she couldn't cook for the first time in years and the rest of the family covered for her.
Given by A new mom at her daughter's first Thanksgiving. 154 words. The names are made up.
The toast
She's asleep, so I have about a minute.
For eleven years I've made the stuffing for this dinner. This year, not a chance. Since she was born seven weeks ago, I've spent most of my time on that couch with her asleep on my chest, and if you've ever had a baby asleep on your chest, you know you don't get up.
So I ran the kitchen from the couch, and all of you cooked in whispers. Wes asked me how much sage by holding up fingers. Mom opened the oven door like she was defusing it. Dad drove to two stores for the right bread and came back in without letting the screen door slam.
She won't remember any of this. She'll sleep through dessert, which I'm told makes her a full member of this family already.
Raise your glass, everyone. To Marigold's first Thanksgiving, and to the quietest kitchen we've ever had.
Why it works: The whispered kitchen carries the whole toast: it shows how new the baby is, how tired the mom is, and how much the family stepped in, all in one picture everyone at the table lived through that afternoon. The joke about sleeping through dessert welcomes the baby into the family without a speech about what she means to everyone.
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.