In some ways, I really enjoy Pesach, but in others, it can be a major headache - full of the stress of cleaning, digging out annually used cutlery, crockery, and pans from the loft. Of course, my amazing wife is the model of serenity throughout, seamlessly putting together endless meal plans and cooking for small armies.
And of course, there's the sedarim themselves, just to ensure you get your cherry on your stress cake! Will it be harmonious?; Will everyone join in and be engaged throughout; Will they leave early?; Will they fall asleep at the table? All questions that I do my best to ensure will be answered yes; yes; no; no.
This year, we had the additional element of Ilan's first active attendance at a seder...and we weren't disappointed. He lived up to his billing as the star of the show, based on his pre-Pesach form of knowing just about every element of the Pesach story, as well as an abundance of songs which he sung beautifully and with unabashed enthusiasm.
Aside from Ilan's memorable contributions on both nights, having my good (non-Jewish) friend Chas gracing our seder on the first night provided some much needed light relief. Not only was he the only person to successfully flip his frog into Elijah's cup (it did take him about three hours of failed attempts), but his appreciation of my somewhat warped sense of humour, including an unintentional Alan Partridge pronunciation during 'Echad mi yodaya / Who knows one', was sensational, as was our telepathic hilarity following an inappropriate, yet highly amusing, comment I made relating to my sister!!
So at the halfway point in the eight-day chag, I suppose it's somewhat of an achievement that everyone is still talking to each other. But as the Haggadah family says towards the end...Next Year in Jerusalem!!
Chag Sameach