We had the Thanksgiving Before The Thanksgiving yesterday, on the actual Thanksgiving because it just sort of worked out that way.
These days the Big Family Thanksgiving is usually up at Rory and Amy’s house, where various components of Kim’s side of the family gather for food and conversation. It’s always a festive time. But with everyone’s schedule being what it is, sometimes Thursday is not the best day to achieve Maximum Family so the holiday will simply get moved to accommodate. Holidays happen when you have time for them, after all.
The Big Family Thanksgiving this year will be Saturday.
Meanwhile Lauren was coming home from Main Campus University with Maxim for break, and Oliver is living with us this year so we’d all be together on the actual calendar day set aside for Thanksgiving. So we decided we’d have a Small Family Thanksgiving, just with us.
There were many terrible things that came out of the pandemic, but one of the nicer ones was the series of small holidays that we ended up sharing with just the four of us together. We’re a low key sort of group, and while I missed seeing everybody I have to say that I also enjoyed the slow time together, doing things with just us.
Maxim has been coming along for a while now, so of course he’s in. At some point Lauren asked if she could bring her friend Arden, who is too far from home to justify going back for such a short break, and really what’s one more plate at a Thanksgiving table? Bring her along!
They got here Wednesday and we had a lovely time together hanging out and having fondue for dinner because there is something just slightly ridiculous about fondue that makes it a fun meal. You can’t stand on ceremony when you’re sitting around waving tiny forks at each other. And then we watched The Big Lebowski, which several of them had not yet seen. It holds up. Lauren’s friend Nolan joined us in the middle of that, and we had a lovely time of it.
We spent the day doing all the Thanksgiving things – roasting a turkey, making various sides and desserts, putting the leaf in the table so we’d have room for everything (which is something we didn’t do for the fondue because those tiny forks are only so long), and generally hanging about. Max brought his cat, David S. Pumpkin – a friendly orange kitty who (mostly) left our cats unbothered. I made pizzelles because if I show up on Saturday without them I’ll be sent home. The various college students managed to get in a bit of work because the semester is not yet over after all. We hauled out our wedding china and the nice silverware because you might as well use these things.
And then we ate.
These days the Big Family Thanksgiving is usually up at Rory and Amy’s house, where various components of Kim’s side of the family gather for food and conversation. It’s always a festive time. But with everyone’s schedule being what it is, sometimes Thursday is not the best day to achieve Maximum Family so the holiday will simply get moved to accommodate. Holidays happen when you have time for them, after all.
The Big Family Thanksgiving this year will be Saturday.
Meanwhile Lauren was coming home from Main Campus University with Maxim for break, and Oliver is living with us this year so we’d all be together on the actual calendar day set aside for Thanksgiving. So we decided we’d have a Small Family Thanksgiving, just with us.
There were many terrible things that came out of the pandemic, but one of the nicer ones was the series of small holidays that we ended up sharing with just the four of us together. We’re a low key sort of group, and while I missed seeing everybody I have to say that I also enjoyed the slow time together, doing things with just us.
Maxim has been coming along for a while now, so of course he’s in. At some point Lauren asked if she could bring her friend Arden, who is too far from home to justify going back for such a short break, and really what’s one more plate at a Thanksgiving table? Bring her along!
They got here Wednesday and we had a lovely time together hanging out and having fondue for dinner because there is something just slightly ridiculous about fondue that makes it a fun meal. You can’t stand on ceremony when you’re sitting around waving tiny forks at each other. And then we watched The Big Lebowski, which several of them had not yet seen. It holds up. Lauren’s friend Nolan joined us in the middle of that, and we had a lovely time of it.
We spent the day doing all the Thanksgiving things – roasting a turkey, making various sides and desserts, putting the leaf in the table so we’d have room for everything (which is something we didn’t do for the fondue because those tiny forks are only so long), and generally hanging about. Max brought his cat, David S. Pumpkin – a friendly orange kitty who (mostly) left our cats unbothered. I made pizzelles because if I show up on Saturday without them I’ll be sent home. The various college students managed to get in a bit of work because the semester is not yet over after all. We hauled out our wedding china and the nice silverware because you might as well use these things.
And then we ate.
There was a period of inactivity after that while everything settled, and then it was time for dessert. Nolan joined us for that as well, so it was a festive and good-sized group in the end.
I’ve always liked Thanksgiving. Whatever its historical roots may be – and you can get a pretty good argument going on social media just by mentioning any facet of any of them, if that’s how you enjoy spending time – the fact is that in its present form it’s basically just what it says it is. Unlike so many other holidays, it’s a day where you’re supposed to be glad for the things you have. There’s no implication of getting more, just being grateful for what’s in front of you.
I have a lot to be thankful for.
And we get to do this again on Saturday.
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