[Guest post by DRJ
What a great time of year! After work, I put up some of the Christmas lights so they would be there to welcome our college son when he gets home for Thanksgiving later tonight.
What’s going on in your pre-holiday lives? Whatever it is, I hope you’re having a good week.
— DRJ
Pronounced "Patter-EE-koh"
E-mail: Just use my moniker Patterico, followed by the @ symbol, followed by gmail.com
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Well I shopped over the weekend for everything I’ll need to cook Thanksgiving dinner. I’ll get out the good china and set the table with the silver service using a linen tablecloth and napkins. But there will be only three of us. Gone are the Thanksgivings of my childhood back East, with Grandparents, Great Aunts and Uncles, Aunts and Uncles and many cousins. We sometimes had as many as 30 at the big table and the card tables set up for the kids. Our family tradition was that whoever turned twelve that year got to sit at the big table and was expected to say Grace. I think that tradition ended when my cousin, in his turn, stood and quoted from a running beer commercial, “Fort Pitt, that’s it!” and then sat down again. Great Aunt Betty nearly had a stroke, as did his parents. The rest of us kids were giggling so hard, we were falling off our chairs.
During my years as a Navy wife, my husband seemed to always have Thanksgiving fall during his duty schedule, year after year, so we got in the habit of having Thanksgiving dinner with him on the ship. There was always so much food left over, we could bring home delicious pies and lots of turkey for late night sandwiches.
This is a special Thanksgiving for me, however. It will be the first time in nearly four years that I’ll be able to cook dinner and not depend on someone else to bring me a paper plate of food and eat from bed. My ongoing pain from a broken back has finally abated and I can stand at the stove and sit in a regular chair. That is the best part of this year, being pain free after so long and being able to join my kids at the table. Life is good and I am so thankful for that.
Sara (09898f) — 11/20/2007 @ 4:49 pmThanksgiving is always our quiet holiday. Christmas is when we travel. One child is overseas working and we will miss her dearly. the other two are home with us but this will be the last year for the middle one as she finishes college next spring.
voiceofreason (983846) — 11/20/2007 @ 4:58 pmbeen a real good year for me. Finished out my military career and had very good luck in getting a contract job and recently got picked up by the civil service which means stable job the rest of the time I wish to work.
Blessed I am.
A Real Thanksgiving. With my son home from Al Anbar, I am walking around with a lump of gratitude in my throat. My Naval tour long over, I finally realise what I put my parents and wife through on a MAU cruise in ’81.(Beruit) and two years at sea.
paul from fl (47918a) — 11/20/2007 @ 5:19 pmLike I said a REAL THANKSgiving.God Bless America.
I’m so happy for you and your family.
DRJ (973069) — 11/20/2007 @ 5:47 pmOur holidays start tomorrow, with the feast day of the Presentation of the Virgin to the Temple, and will continue through January 7, the feast day of St. John the Baptist. The rule is a time of happiness and goodwill. Also setting a rich table every day. Which upsets my wife slightly because I consider fish and legumes, which she likes, Lenten and funereal food and I won’t have them because I consider having them during the holidays a jinx.
nk (09a321) — 11/20/2007 @ 6:02 pmWell, I’d planned on ordering picture Christmas cards and getting ready to send them out next week.
I’d planned on having the house shiny and clean so that we could work on some projects while my husband was off work. And not be stressed about the upcoming office Christmas party at our house!
I’d planned on doing some Christmas shopping early so I don’t have to deal with Wal-Mart (only big store around) being out of things. Or paying $$ for shipping charges.
But…the kids have been sick, sick and sick again.
We are very far from family, so it will just be us again.
I’m going to clean tomorrow and then just be very very thankful that all our problems are minor.
And maybe the Thanksgiving elves will snap a good picture of the kids and order up some Christmas cards!
MamaAJ (788539) — 11/20/2007 @ 6:08 pm