Happy Thanksgiving

I hope you and yours have an enjoyable Thanksgiving Day. Ours will begin at the crack of dawn. We have a 4 mile race that starts at 7:30 am. After that we pick up mom, go to our house, and make a feast that we will consume in 10-15 minutes. Then we will clean up, mom will get antsy and I will take her back home. After that, hopefully I will get to catch some of the football games.

Thanksgiving always was an important milestone in the year when I was a kid. It was the starting line for the immense anticipation that preceded Christmas. It meant that I had presents, days off from school and time to play all waiting ahead for me. Going to grandma’s to eat off the gold lined plates and gold plated silverware was a familiar favorite activity. When we arrived I was always greeted warmly by my grandfather who would shake my hand, slap me on the arm and sometime hug me as well. Before we ate, grandpa would always say a quick prayer that began differently each time but always ended the same way “… for without you Lord were nuthin…, Amen” I miss him.

Over the years Thanksgiving mutated into more of a pain in the ass. As an adult, Thanksgiving meant I better get my ass in gear and start buying endless presents. It meant a whirlwind day of going to 3 different homes for 3 different dinners as a result of my now extended family situation. I wound up hanging around some people that annoyed me and as I moved more into adulthood, the pure gluttony of the event disgusted me more and more. Soon, I was relieved when the event was over with and didn’t look forward to it rolling around next year.

Since we moved to Florida, Thanksgiving has mutated once again. The only family we have down here is my mom so there are no large get togethers. The year round great weather makes the holiday season sneak up on you. Even though it is 80 degrees outside, it is time to celebrate the holiday before you know it. Our celebrations have been steadily less involved as time has gone by. Hell the last 2 years we didn’t even cook, we just went to a restaurant, had some turkey and went home. We both commented on how quick and easy that was, how convenient it was to pay some cash, get served and don’t have to clean up afterwards. However for whatever reason, this year, I don’t want to do that. Thanksgiving isn’t supposed to be about convenience. So after we run, we are having mom out (against her will) and making dinner. Mom didn’t want us to drive her all the way out because it was “so far”, which I scoffed as crazy. 16 miles isn’t far and it isn’t like we see her every week, or even every month for that matter. This year I want something more traditional, I’m not sure why, but I need it.