Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Well, okay, my birthday is my favorite holiday, but that just sounds kind of selfish to say. Thanksgiving is my favorite non-selfish holiday. There. But I got to thinking today of why it's my favorite and it was like being slammed in the face with a million memories. So, I decided to try to write it out. We all have such vivid memories of Thanksgiving, and here are some of mine....
When I was younger, Thanksgiving meant Gammys house. Which meant, family. And lots of noise, chaos and jovial times. My immediate family would crowd into whatever van we had at the time. Usually a Previa, which resembled an egg. It was cool when we were young, but by the coming of the second one we were pretty much over the minivan thing. We also had a larger van, that had curtains and a bed in the back. Of course, this van would be dubbed the "child molester van" and with good reason(it fit the bill), but man, it was comfy. My brother, Kyle always seemed to get the bed, while my sister Michelle and I were left in the captains seats. Probably best, as you never know what three hours in a van could do to you. No matter the vehicle, we were always guaranteed some memories would be made, just in the journey of getting to Thanksgiving dinner at Gammys. We had troll dolls that would put on little plays. They would discuss their favorite foods. They always preferred mashed potatoes. Tommy was the main troll, with Melissa coming in a little later. By the time we got to Joey, who was by far the coolest, rockerish of them all, we were over the trolls.
We listened to music of varying genres. My poor parents had to endure New Kids on the Block, Wilson Phillips, Paula Abdul. All in a tape deck, mind you. It was also a time for the parents to introduce us to some of their music and it was then I fell in love with Marc Cohn, Fleetwood Mac, Bruce Springsteen. We sang along. We argued. We bonded.
On our way to Gammy's house, we were allowed to have fast food. We never got fast food, but lucky for us, In N Out was the halfway point and we would stop and indulge. Nothing ever tasted better to me. We would get so excited to pull up and choose from the menu, like it ever changed. But we learned the special things on the menu like "animal style" and neopolitan shakes. We got our little lap mats and a wad of napkins and we were in heaven. Usually by the time we got there, it was a breaking point/meltdown point/pee in your pants point, but In N Out solved all these issues.
Gammy's house was always like walking into a theatre production. We had so many characters there! It was so loud, and it was so calming at the same time. It was home. And we just knew that was the way it was. Gammy was always so busy, with everyone taking turns pestering her over some minor detail. "No, no. Do it THIS way." Grandpa Bob was discussing some world event in his loud, dramatic tone. Don't get him started on Michael Jackson, and by the way, OJ Simpson is innocent because he went to USC. He would ask me, "To be, or not to be, that is the question." I never knew the answer, but it peaked my interest enough to get into public speaking. Uncle Randy was into music and his booming voice, and husky vocals were so impressive. He could play anything on the guitar, and he could do it well. His wife, at the time, was the "fun aunt" and she gave me my first leopard print, sexy bathing suit. I thought I was pretty hot, but wow... Uncle Clark was the guy who was intimidating, intelligent and if he spoke, you listened. He always seemed larger than life and even his impromptu speeches seemed as if they had been planned and rehearsed. Aunt Marla and Uncle George were like my second parents and seeing them always warmed my heart. Until Uncle George and my dad ganged up on us and tickled us to death, dubbed "Tickle Torture." My cousins were my best friends and over the years we had so many memories in that house, at Thanksgiving. Since we had to sit at the kid's table well into our teens, we got into so much trouble there. I shouldn't even go into it, but let's just say there were a lot of firsts, despite our parents being in the next room. Hey, what can I say?
Dinner was always a production. I remember one year, my grandma tried to get us to sit boy-girl-boy and I lost it. I ran crying to my mom's room and refused to continue with Thanksgiving. What a brat! I finally returned, embarrassed, but we never did assigned seating again. We loaded our plates with turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, rolls. No one ever left hungry. No one ever left, period. We all stayed the night, and the fun continued all weekend. We had fun times, playing in the pool, walking around the neighborhood, being kids. No idea it would ever not be that way. No clue that things change. But they do.
These days, Thanksgiving is different. Now, it's just our immediate family. Gammy, Grandpa Bob, Uncle George all celebrate in heaven. But despite several people being noticeably absent, we have a great time. There's still the chaos, the loudness, the unique characters, the laughing, the stories, the experience of sharing. Thanksgiving has evolved, but it is none the less meaningful. I now get to bake a pumpkin cheesecake. I still indulge in stuffing like a ravenous crow, or something like that. I get to sit at "The Big Kid's Table." I get to be surrounded by the ones I love. I get to be thankful for everything Thanksgiving is, was, and will be. Happy Thanksgiving!
