Gooble-dee Cook 🦃

     Thanksgiving is just down the road. Seems like it was only last month we were getting ready for 4th of July. The days just seem to fly by. In Colorado, we had summer, then a cold, sprinkling of  winter “flurries”, then summer again for a couple of weeks, fall for about 12 1/2 hours and now we’re into the “winter season”. One day the leaves were still on the trees and starting to turn, the next day they were scattered across any surface where they could gather. Autumn has always been my favorite time of the year and I’m sad for the shortened season this year.

     You would think Thanksgiving would be my favorite holiday since it comes in the fall but it’s not. It has become, at least to me, more about the food and where to eat that food. The gratitude aspect seems to have become merely an after-thought. Talk show hosts, comedians, sit-coms and books regale us with stories of all the animosity surrounding the dinner table; political debates, old slights or disappointments, guilt, recriminations and accusations. It makes for great plot twists, either humorous or, in the extreme, murderous. But I don’t believe that’s normal in most of our homes.

     What the holiday is is a lot of work. The cleaning, the planning and shopping then the cooking take a lot of time. We spend hours preparing and thirty minutes devouring. We groan, unbutton or unzip and watch football. If we have the energy, we go for a walk or engage in a friendly game of football with family and friends. In the past several years, we gobble down the meal then rush to the mall for those early Black Friday Christmas sales. Yay! Isn’t it great the retailers can’t give their employees the day off to spend with their families instead opting to open Thanksgiving afternoon in hopes of ca$hing in?

     You can eat turkey year round now. I remember looking forward to turkey day because Thanksgiving and Christmas were about the only time that particular bird could be found. (I always tried to steal strips of the crispy turkey skin while my father carved up the bird. There is nothing better than warm, crispy roasted turkey skin. Chicken skin is not the same.) You can find cranberry jelly year ‘round. There are always boxes of stuffing in various flavors plus jars of turkey gravy. The lack of availability certainly added to the enjoyment of the meal.

     My mother gathered relatives and friends for Thanksgiving who might otherwise not have anyplace else to go. In later years, there were the widows and widowers of  old friends who would otherwise have been alone. I remember a time when some dear, long-time friends who were suppose to go out of town wound up eating with us due to inclement weather. It was a last minute invitation but posed no problem to just pull another couple of chairs up to the table. Though it was a rite of passage to graduate from the kid’s table to the adult table, it was never an issue for the “younger” adults to make the move back to the kids table. Don’t tell anyone I admitted this but the kid’s table was more fun. 😉

     One Thanksgiving, over forty years ago, will live in my memory forever. My parents and I were invited to Mitchell, Nebraska to my mother’s cousin Dorothy’s. I don’t know how to begin to describe Dorothy. She was extraordinary in every way. She taught music, had choral groups she took to competitions all around the world while in her 60s and was a bright, sparkling light to all who knew her. I had no idea what I was in for and even if I had known, could never have imagined how wonderful it would be.

     Dorothy lived in a modest-sized house. The only reason I remark on the size of her home is because she always invited lots of people. The tables were beautifully set with candles and lovely centerpieces. Dorothy, like my mother, collected strays along with her relatives; people who would otherwise be alone. She encouraged lively conversation and an atmosphere of joy.

     Then there was the food, glorious food. It was an embarrassment of riches although the last thing I felt was embarrassment. Maybe a fear of over-eating but I’m not sure you could have avoided it. There was the requisite turkey and all the trimmings, ham, corn, sweet potatoes, scalloped potatoes, standing rib roast beef, pickles, olives and cheeses, bread and rolls and desserts: pumpkin pies, fruit pies, cakes and cookies. The food was amazing, the company was incredible, the hostess and host were gracious and generous. Dorothy’s students unselfishly helped out by busing the tables during dinner, refilling glasses and coffee cups throughout the evening then helping to clean up when the last guest left. I had never experienced anything like that before and, other than going to a Thanksgiving buffet at a very upscale restaurant several years ago, nothing like it since. It was a once in a lifetime occasion that I will never forget. I’m sure Dorothy had help preparing all the food, at least I certainly hope she did. At the end of the evening you felt loved and grateful to be included.

     Now, for me, Thanksgiving feels like the starting gun for the Christmas shopping season. I miss sitting around the dinner table reminiscing and catching up. I miss dressing up for dinner. Some people have several “dinners” to try to get to so no one feels left out. I’m grateful for my husband, family and puppy. That I have a home to live in, enough food to eat and health. I wish for better days in 2019. Less anger and animosity, more kindness and consideration. I hope we all will try to treat everyone with the respect they deserve, even if or especially if, you don’t agree with them. So as you are seated around your Thanksgiving table, take time to feel grateful and encourage an atmosphere of joy.