On Thanksgiving

Last Thanksgiving, our little family bucked tradition and spent the holiday at a lovely resort in the Texas hill country.  It was fun and filled with new memories, and we tentatively planned to return again this year.  But things fell through at the last minute and, instead, we are hosting a small get-together of our own.  Ryan’s parents and a few friends will join us, and we’ll see my family over the weekend.  I’m surprisingly relaxed about everything and the preparations leading up to today have been stress-free.

To be honest, Thanksgiving has always seemed a peculiar holiday to me, coming less than a month before Christmas and stemming from a difficult time in our nation’s history.  In college, the last week in November marked the beginning of crunch time, as final papers and exams loomed heavily over every student.  I always wished that we could move the day to after finals and push it all together with Christmas, which held more meaning for my family and lasted a lot longer.  And now, as a parent, I feel the Christmas shopping rush beginning as soon as the Thanksgiving dishes are washed and my Inbox fills with holiday discounts.  James’ and Ryan’s birthdays are in the middle of December, too, so it is a busy, busy month filled with lots of party preparations.

Last year, we began our home renovation two days after Christmas, which meant taking down the tree and packing up the contents of our home, all on December 26th.  It was incredibly stressful and I’m so glad it’s behind us now.  I’m really enjoying the slower pace this year and I’m trying to savour this time with my boys while they are still so young.

I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!  And to my Canadian friends, Happy Thursday!