In a Holidaze

Food is a marker of Mae’s family traditions and investment in the holiday, and many of the scenes in the novel feature traditional dishes; in some cases, the group’s interactions with the food itself become the basis for a deeper exploration of Mae’s relationships and the group’s overall dynamics, especially when the time loop alters key details in each iteration. For example, once Mae realizes that she is repeating the holiday, she tries to prevent her father from cracking his tooth on Lisa’s inedible cookie bars. Even before Andrew knows about this mission, he reminds Mae, “[U]nlike Elise, who is a cooking goddess, Lisa is not, as we say, skilled in the kitchen” (48). Similarly, on her third trip through the holiday, Mae begins by avidly consuming cheese blintzes, impressing Andrew with her new dedication to embracing life. This moment illustrates his growing interest in her once she takes more initiative and grows less reserved, and this key shift sets the stage for their continued flirtation and romance. In the same timeline, Mae throws Lisa’s inedible cookie bars away and begins helping with breakfast preparations as part of her commitment to reconciling The Tension Between Childhood Nostalgia and Adult Responsibility.