Saturday, November 22, 2008

Gobble Gobble!

Yes! It’s almost Thanksgiving! And with that thought comes this question? How do you celebrate Thanksgiving? I think of thanksgiving as a holiday spent with family, as most of us probably do, as well as good food and maybe some thoughts of the wonderful Indians and pilgrims that instituted the holiday unknowingly. But how do people who don’t celebrate thanksgiving think of it, or not think of it? Personally I will be very glad to be home this year for Thanksgiving because I know what it’s like to not be home. One year my immediate family and I went to Hawaii over thanksgiving. Granted, it was an enjoyable experience and I got a lot of positive feedback from my friends like “Oh my gosh! You’re in Hawaii for Thanksgiving?! You’re so lucky!” or “You’re gonna be tan when you get back from HAWAII over thanksgiving” or “Wow that’s so unfair that you get to be in Hawaii over Thanksgiving!” Those comments were enjoyable to receive and I was glad to know that people would miss me while I was unavailable over the break but to tell the truth, Thanksgiving was just not the same. I’ve had Thanksgiving at home my entire life except for that one year and probably some odd year I can’t remember so it was very weird to be out of my element on a day when I should have been very much in my element. I love Hawaii, it’s my second home, but home sweet home is where you’re supposed to be on Thanksgiving day. There we were in our hotel room with an awesome view of the ocean. Sun, Surf, and a hotel room in November. The food that we got was pretty good but I have to say that room service turkey is just no substitute for home made turkey fresh from the oven. After everything was said and done, I mostly felt like the vacation was rushed, and my thanksgiving experience incomplete. Yes, I was with my family the whole time but I’ve concluded there’s just something about the tradition of holidays that has to be there for the experience to be complete. I would suppose people who don’t celebrate thanksgiving just continue like it’s a normal day off, but that perhaps their lives are less complete without that important day of thanks.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I have never not been "home"--either my family home in Ohio or my own home in Texas or a close friend's house that seems like family--for Thanksgiving or Christmas. My husband and I have thought about going to some fancy hotel or bed and breakfast that has a holiday special deal, but it would just be too commercial. What was I grateful for this Thanksgiving? That our best friends had us over so I did not have to lift a finger to porepare the meal. But I did it all at my house the year before, so they owed me. I do wish I could have been with my actual family. I saw my mother and sisters in October; I'm not sure when we will all get together again . . . .