Tag: Thanksgiving

It’s a short Holiday Season this year, thanks to a “late” Thanksgiving. The “4th Thursday in November” makes our American Turkey Day a moveable feast that often intrudes on the Christmas season and this year is about as intruding as it gets.

Our current Thanksgiving Tradition is having the Jr. Family over in the morning to watch the Macy’s Parade. They arrive just before the parade starts, Dunkin’ Donuts in hand. In NYC, the Jose’ Fam are also watching, but Santa and the Mrs. appear on their screen an hour before they fly into our broadcast, a feat of time travel that I do not understand, but it’s true. We lay out a spread of sandwich-makings, some salads, veggies, and chips, and throw in pumpkin and dutch apple pies for dessert. We talk. We laugh. We play a game of some sort.

Our tradition is nothing at all like the Norman Rockwell tradition I grew up with, and I don’t deny that I miss the crowded tables and loud rooms of people of those days, but all those fine cooks have passed on and their grandchildren have children (and grandchildren) of their own.

After the games, the Jrs. have an evening Thanksgiving dinner to attend, and the NYers are either already in Philadelphia or on their way, so by 3pm, we’re alone with the leftovers…and the Christmas decorating begins! I really enjoy decking the halls with fa-la-la and a lot of buffalo plaid…

Casey’s #70 birthday month has been a good one, filled with weekly presents and trips. We’ll sing a rousing rendition of HB on Thanksgiving Day, put a candle in his pie, and wish him well. The actual b-day-date is Saturday, the 30th, and we’ll probably go out for dinner or something.

While we were in Gatlinburg, we went to a hard cider tasting at Smokin’ Banjo. These fruit-based samplings were right up my alley; I really wanted to love the Banjo Blue, made from blueberries, but my favorite was Sweet Heat, a raspberry concoction with a hint of jalapeno. We were persuaded to buy two bottles so they would give us a free bottle of Peach, which was pretty good. Since Michael and Jess are teetotalers, I may have to enlist outside help with drinking these fermentations…

With each sunrise I am granted, I give Thanks for Everything and All — for my Loved Ones (that’s You), for the sun and the moon and the stars and the wise trees, for my home and its gardens and all that grows here, for the many critters and winged ones who feast at my buffet, for the gifts of music and books, for the comradery of marriage, for the wisdom of my ancestors, for the Peace and Joy in my heart.

The composer Aaron Copland left us the beautiful song, “The Promise of Living” from the opera “The Tender Land”, reminding us that Thanksgiving Day was originally a harvest celebration.

The promise of living with hope and thanksgiving
Is born of our loving our friends and our labor.

The promise of growing with faith and with knowing
Is born of our sharing our love with our neighbor.

The promise of loving, the promise of growing
Is born of our singing in joy and thanksgiving.

For many a year we’ve know these fields
And know all the work that makes them yield.
We’re ready to work, we’re ready to lend a hand.
By working together we’ll bring in the blessings of harvest.

We plant each row with seeds of grain,
And Providence sends us the sun and the rain.
By lending a hand, by lending an arm
Bring out the blessings of harvest.

Give thanks there was sunshine, give thanks there was rain,
Give thanks we have hands to deliver the grain.

O let us be joyful, O let us be grateful to the Lord for his blessing.

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Hope you’ll be having a grand Thanksgiving week-end!

Peace