Thoughts on Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Shopping Done

I don't  particularly like shopping, but I do enjoy getting ready for Thanksgiving. When I was younger and still working, it was a hectic time of year. Now, though, it is a pure pleasure. I start almost a week ahead of time, polishing silver, making a menu, and creating a shopping list. About two days before the actual day, I start cooking, making dishes that can be made ahead and figuring out a timetable based on the size of the turkey. Most years, I make the same traditional dinner: turkey, stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, baked sweet potatoes and squash, creamed onions, peas, green beans, and always a plate of raw crunchy vegetables. Desserts vary, although there is always pie.

I have enjoyed huge Thanksgiving dinners with large crowds, smaller meals with just immediate family, and intimate twosomes. I must say my favorites have been the ones that I make. When I sit down to eat, I am surrounded by items that were given to me by parents, grandparents, other relatives, and friends. My silver pitcher, for instance, came from my paternal grandmother; the plate on which I serve raw vegetables was a gift from my grandmother-in-law; the glass salts on my table always sat on my parents' Thanksgiving table.  These tangible reminders of the important people in my life are probably the reason I like the day so much. Whether in fact or in thought, I share Thanksgiving with all those I love and who love me, and I am grateful to have so many of them.