Now days, Thanksgiving is just another day. Yada yada yada. I truly am thankful for so much. But really, Columbus and the Indians, that whole thing just doesn’t sit right with me knowing our country’s history. Yet I’m remembering past Thanksgivings, and this day, as it should be every day, I remember people. The most important part of my life.
As a child Thanksgiving was always a small family affair–Mom, Dad, my brother and me. That’s it. And I didn’t even really like any of them. Sad to say I know. Mom spent the day cooking which was not her usual thing, Dad read either the newspaper or a book which wasn’t unusual for a winter day at home. My brother, well he never changed behavior no matter the day, and did everything in this power to tease me to tears as usual. Best memory was getting to have a half glass of champagne with dinner. We always ate duck and drank Cold Duck. Whatever.
Married, I went through the same kind of processes as Mom. Spending the day in the kitchen preparing way too much food for our family of four.
Best Thanksgiving memory was spent with a long ago friend in her tiny trailer along the Washington coast during a wild storm when the power went out. But we were OK because she had a propane stove which we cooked and heated with. In fact it got so hot in that trailer we sat in our underwear eating dinner. Couldn’t open any windows as the high winds would have blown us away.
After marriage, Thanksgiving became just another day of the year, sometimes with friends depending on where I was at the time. I’ve spent holidays alone and that’s just fine by me.
Today, as for the past nine years, I will enjoy a meal with local friends who are single like me and far from family.
Having said all this, I hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving with your family and friends.
Holidays are highly overrated, although I do have fond memories of family dinners. I remember my first Thanksgiving away from home. I turned down several invitations for dinner from people I barely knew and went to see Looking For Mr. Goodbar by myself, went back to my apartment and cooked a nice steak dinner. (That was before I became a vegetarian;-) It was such an enjoyable day.
Hope you have a nice meal with friends today.
Gayle
Holidays are just way too commercialized. My first ‘alone’ for Christmas was like that. I was in Tahoe and ate at a casino surrounded by people but all alone. I got over it.
Have a wonderful day.
To those of Us ..Free Spirits…who live on Wheelstates…every day is a day of Thanksgiving. for the Straingers we ‘ve met on our Journey,,that have become our Family and True Friends, Thanks for Sharing Your Journey with us everyday.
Enjoy your Day..My Friend 🙂
Cindy
Yep, being free makes me thankful every day.
Have a Happy Day!
Your feelings for your family sound like mine. I had the younger whiney brother and the distant not involved father. My mother tried very hard but I just had nothing in common with any of them ever. Thanksgiving was the big extended family thing. The women worked themselves to exhaustion and the men sat around and asked when they were going to eat. Since then what I haven’t liked about Thanksgiving is the gluttony and that it is little more than the gateway to shopping. Not to mention that the Foolish Indians and the selfish Pilgrims could not have feasted in Massachusetts in late November. Let’s have a true national day of Thanksgiving and forgiveness all its own say on the 21st of September. That’s actually a real harvest time.
Here here! Totally agree Sherry. It’s all about consumerism, nothing real.
Happy Everyday!
“Wishing you a “Happy Thanksgiving”!! Have a great day, alone or with friends. All is good!!
Thank you Barb. I hope your day has been filled with joy.
In Australia we do not celebrate Thanksgiving by slaughtering big birds and having the usual rows as families feel they have to come together. Personally, I vibe thanks on a daily basis for everything big or little in my life and for life itself.
I wish you a very happy day, week, year and life Gaelyn.
Thank you Arija. This is such a contrived holiday. Best to give thanks every day. And so I wish to you, Happy Everyday!
When I was a kid Thanksgiving was a blast. We went up to our cousin’s ranch in Idaho and played in the haystacks and had a great old time. I remember all the aunts cooking and then everybody eating and the men retiring to the living room, letting their belts loose, and napping while the women worked their butts off.
Since then, I like it for the family get togethers. It is still lots of work though.
I’ve been lucky in that we haven’t had big family disagreements or drunk uncles or other things to make people unpleasant.
As far as the whole Indian and Pilgrim thing. I can see why many Native American’s are not into that concept. I think we need to reinvent Thanksgiving and teach a more realistic version of the relationship between the Indians and the Europeans.
I totally agree with you about the change in history lessons. We should certainly be thankful and having a family day for that is great, although I’d like to see it every day. Sure sounds like your childhood celebration was a lot of fun. Always the women work their butts off.
Good post and hits home in some ways. I always liked Thanksgiving. For me, it’s much better than Christmas. Non-denominational, no presents, just (we hope) good quality time with people you love. I too am saddened by our nation’s history, but the day itself, for being thankful, is what it means to me. Hope yours was a good one this year. I do mine on Sunday!
You are right and I enjoyed a wonderful afternoon with good friends and food, even though I’m not overly fond of turkey. I just despise all the commercialism. Enjoy your Sunday Thanksgiving.
Most of the Thanksgivings in my life have been just another day. I did have the traditional family diner while growing up but that was long ago in a much simpler time when the traditional Holidays in the United States were something other tha Designated Shopping Days.
My most unusual Thanksgiving was in 1965. I was at Ft Benjamin Harrison, broke and visiting with the CQ (Charge of Quarters) to kill some time. A woman and her daughter walked in and asked the CQ if there were any soldiers that wanted to go home with them for Thanksgiving Dinner. I went through the barracks and found a couple of guys but they had no interest in going. I returned I told them that there were only a couple of guy in the barracks and they did not want to go. They then said “Well how about you?” It was a little strange but I had a good Thanksgiving Dinner!
Your 1965 Thanksgiving story is what it should really be all about. Such a wonderful gesture. I despise all the commercialism and don’t buy into the shopping.
Sometimes holidays are what you want them to be. I think Thanksgiving is one of the best. It is a time to enjoy family or friends depending on your situation. There are no presents to buy so no pressure there. We are retired military so we were often far from family so our holidays were frequently spent with “family we got to choose” and inviting single service members to join us was a big tradition. Our friends would sign up with the base and pick up 3 or 4 young singles who were thrilled to be away from the base (basic trainees lots of times). Sure the women worked hard to put together a great meal but it didn’t seem to be that much work when you were doing it together and it was so much appreciated. Our son now lives in this area but he and his wife went to have Thanksgiving with her Mom in Maryland this year and we were fortunate enough to spend Thanksgiving with our retired military friends once again. There were 15 of us including their kids, grandkids, and another retired couple. Couldn’t have been a better day. One of their daughters left in the evening to go Black Friday shopping early….she loves it….but the rest of us just relaxed and enjoyed a glass of wine. Holiday dinners at RV parks can also be a lot of fun with everyone contributing. If holidays weren’t great with family, change them, do something else but find a way to enjoy the day.
I like the family we get to choose best, and enjoyed a lovely day with several of them. How fun to gather with your old friends.
I always liked T-giving because it’s a secular holiday. Sure, it’s later than the actual harvest, but still since it’s just before winter begins I still like it. Except all the Black Friday “deals” hype has almost soured it.
I had a nice day after today, though. They thought I’m broke in well enough here that I ran the park Visitor Center by myself all day. I even got to swear in my first Junior Rangers, too. And I used your “and clean my room” addendum, Gaelyn. Always good for a laugh.
Thanksgiving is a wonderful day to gather with friends and/or family. I enjoyed a nice gathering with the former. It is too bad that people actually have to work that day. And don’t even get me started on the shopping thing.
Sure glad it’s working out for you there. How fun to swear in the Jr Rangers, including the clean room. 😉