The end of the year often tempts us to make quick assessments. What went well, what didn't, what we could have done better. But the real balance sheet is not about performance or goals achieved. It's more about what we've learned—about ourselves, about the people around us, and about what helped us maintain balance throughout the year.
Every year, we tell ourselves that this year the holiday season will be calmer. No rushing around the shops, no gifts bought just for the sake of buying something, no overload of expectations. Yet we often slip back into the same old exhausting routine. But maybe this year is the right time to do things a little differently. Not perfectly, just more meaningfully.
We often associate food with a simple daily necessity: "I have to eat." But the dining table has a much deeper meaning. It is a place where we slow down, where conversations arise, where we put aside the hustle and bustle of work and the chaos of the day for a moment. Eating together is a cultural ritual that is repeated in families, teams, communities, and during special social occasions—and it is precisely in these moments that we find unexpected connections.