Oh Thanksgiving, how many different and unique memories I have of this day...
There was that one year when I was studying abroad in Florence, and got trapped in an elevator with 2 friends for about 20 minutes, until Christine pried open the doors because she would NOT spend the night without a beautiful dinner. We drank way too much wine that night over candlelight, wonderful food and amazing conversation, and then went to explore the gorgeously lit streets of central Florence.
There was that other year, when I was about 17, when I was working at a supermarket in Austin, TX. We were the only supermarket open that day, and things were CRAZY. I have never heard so many people complain about how expensive a can of cranberries could be, or have I seen so many people go into a panic when we started shutting the doors. The day was filled with non-stop checkout and big smiles to all who seemed like life would not go one without that last bag of stuffing (the wife would SURELY kill them without it).
There were all of those times when I was really little, and would travel from NY state to Wyckoff, NJ to my grandparents house for Amesbury family fun, with drunk grown-up, holiday music, and playing some fantasized game with my cousin and brother in the corner. I always had a lovely dress to wear, and would be picked up and twirled by relatives, hugged and kissed.
There were those smaller Thanksgivings, with just my mom and brother in Austin, Tx, though we would always make enough food to feed an army, and the weather would never be colder than 55.
And there is how I spend my Thanksgiving days now, in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, NY, where we have the extended Fraser/Korby family (and friends) spread through my Aunt and Uncle's brownstone, numbering around 25 (if not more), and more food and drinks than we know what to do with. We smoke a 26 lb. turkey in the backyard, and put an extra one in the oven, and always start the day beforehand with peeling potatoes and cutting carrots, just because there are just so many to feed! We laugh, we hug, we poke fun, we speak about all that has gone on in the year that we have unfortunately been unable to share with one another because of how hectic life can become. We reconnect, really. Reconnect in a wonderful way.
I feel like this holiday can be so lovely, because no matter where I have been, or who I have been with, it has always been about family and friendly and the love we share, and all of us just wishing for one day out of the year to be completely consumed with the warmth of other people. Sure, we always have one person who takes it too far, is too drunk, or a little too depressed for everyone else, but in the end, the warmth wins out. How can it not, when so many people are wishing for it so badly?
So, from me to you, have a wonderful and HAPPY Thanksgiving. If you're at home alone, call your friends, call your family, hell, knock on your neighbor's door and get something going. You're not alone, and I'm sure they would love to see you :)
