happy nontraditional Thanksgiving

Snacks in bowls around the house- oranges and apples in one, big old walnuts in others.  Begging someone, anyone to eat a walnut so that I could try my hand at those metal crackers with the ridges in the handles that still to this day make my skin feel tingly-funny.  The smell of a thousand-pound turkey roasting all day, with enough sides to feed the huge family of grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins.  For some reason, also cooking away- a lasagna.  The parade on the TV, the expected cacophony of 20 or so folks crowded in the house.  "Go out and play!" shouted if the weather would allow it, that is to say, if it wasn't 10 below or pouring rain. 

Those are my childhood Thanksgiving memories.  Lots of food, lots of noise, lots of laughs.  I've often said that Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, but as a child I wonder if it was because I was still on a birthday high and just in love with the entire month of November.  As an adult, I do feel a specialness on Thanksgiving, more than any other holiday.  Yes, I like the food, and the pie, and the egg nog- and the fact that this is a day in which overeating is not only sanctioned, but celebrated.  More than that, though, I love the entire feeling of Autumn- the color scheme that nature suddenly provides and the crispness to the air, a welcome change after a crazy hot summer in D.C.  (All summers around here are technically 'crazy hot.')  Along with that seasonal feeling is the reminder to be thankful of what we have (even as every commercial break on air encourages us to add more and more and more... ugh, Black Friday, how I loathe you.).  So yes, I'm declaring Thanksgiving my favorite holiday of the year, even as my own little family spends the day a bit differently than most.

This morning came as early as it usually does, care of Pudge's early internal clock.  Hubby got him set up with some breakfast and a show, and it was back to bed for the rest of us.  (Don't look at me like that.  I know we're not the only ones...)  That light sleep was lovely- no alarm clocks, no rushed showers, no "get ready for school" admonitions.  The rest of the morning went along in the same vein.  Pajamas till lunchtime, watching the three-hour-long commercial that is the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade for a while.  No stress.  A nice, relaxing morning with a co-parent around to help referee the normal sibling squabblings. 

Then we made the decision that would be looked back in hindsight as either really damn stupid or fabulously adventurous.  Let's feed the kids' lunch and follow that up with an abandonment of nap in favor of a hike in our local National Park.  Yeah.  It had been raining all night and early morning, but the skies were now gray and dry and predicted to stay that way until night, so sure, what the heck.  For the next two hours, we walked through the woods, pointed out leaves from the fall-related nonfiction picture books we've been reading lately, giggled together, switched off pairings as we walked allowing for a nice variety of conversations, stopped at the big bridge and played among the rocks and stream.  Oh, the joy that is found in the world of rocks and water for my family.  Little ones' cries of "Watch me, Mommy!"  "See this, Daddy!" filled the air, and the three oldest of us took turns showing of our own come-and-go talent of rock skipping.  The walk was long for little legs-- about 2.5 miles -- so shoulder rides and piggy backs were had, with parental patience fueled by the reminder that we ourselves had made the skipping-nap decision. 

Upon our return, a veritable feast was laid out in the form of various cheeses and crackers.  Pudge probably ate his weight in Brie, hubby opted mostly for hummus, Red chowed on cheddar, JAM went for the port wine cheddar, and I snuck piece after piece of delicious fontina.  The sole cooking that would be done in our home on Thanksgiving happened next in the form of apple-sausage-stuffing preparation and the making of my favorite (award-winning, even!) pumpkin pie, with the not-so-secret-anymore ingredient of egg nog.  YUM. 

As I sit here typing this now, the kids have sequestered themselves upstairs in the tent/fort made from hanging blankets from Red's loft bed, and I can almost see the cartoon-like lines of the glorious smell of pumpkin pie floating in the air from the kitchen.  Hubby is walking out the door to go get our Thanksgiving dinner.  From Boston Market.  Yup, we're those people.  But here's the thing- when you have picky eaters like our kids, and you're not having a large group of folks over, there's just no sense in cooking a turkey and a bunch of sides that will go uneaten.  So, BM will be providing tonight's roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, mac-n-cheese, and corn bread, while my stuffing, and green beans (I forgot- those are steaming on the stove right now, so three things cooked for the day) will round out the meal.  JAM will have his Thanksgiving hot dog (ooh, how festive) and Red and Pudge will pick at the pieces that we put on their plates, most likely consuming enough calories to sustain them for another day. And don't forget the pie.  Oh yes, there will be pie.  And egg nog.  And then... tums.

After dinner, there will be the usual evening clean-up, and cries of "I don't want to clean up!"  Baths are desperately needed, stories will be read, tucking-ins will be completed.  The big kid will eventually head to bed as well, and hubby and I will be left to enjoy the much-welcomed quiet, happy to have made it the other side of another wacky day. 

Our kids' Thanksgiving memories, at least from these years, may not resemble those of my own childhood, but I do know that the day was filled with its share of smiles and laughs, tasty treats and conversations about thankfulness.  (For the record- Pudge doesn't get it as he is thankful for his face apparently, Red is thankful for her toys, and JAM declared, "Don't say this is ridiculous, but I'm thankful for my Legos.")  I declared my own thankfulness on Facebook today- for the usual things- my family, our home, our daily comforts, as well as the other things, too- elastic waist pants, books that make me sob, fleece blankets, and cheese.

Whether you're celebrating today traditionally or not, I wish a happy Thanksgiving filled with joy, love and laughter, from mine to yours.


Grateful and filled with cheese,