The Holiday Season.
Funny how the separate holidays that I remember celebrating individually as a child have all become one giant retail mess these days. It starts with the Back To School sales, which clear the merchandise off the aisles for Halloween, which clears the same aisles for the Thanksgiving/Christmas merchandise...
I liked it better before all the hoopla of Black Friday became such a huge thing. Yes, I know that it technically started in the 1960's, but as a small child, I never HEARD of stores opening at midnight, or shoppers getting punched by other shoppers because someone wanted something that they didn't get into their own cart in time...
But since I could go on for a huge rant about the world going to Hell in a hand basket and the related bad behavior we see on days like Black Friday - and that isn't what I came here to talk about - I'll just end that there and take a step back.
I came to talk about family, and the celebrations that we used to have with them when I was young. Thanksgiving was a huge gathering at Memere and Pepere's farm, with everyone contributing something toward the feast. The adults ate at the big table in the kitchen. Due to a space issue, the children all ate at smaller tables in the living room. The food was served up buffet style with as many trips back to refill one's plate as could be accomplished without technically exploding from eating too much. (I reference Monty Python's "The Meaning of Life" - specifically the "Mr. Creosote" scene: http://youtu.be/lhbHTjMLN5c to show what we always thought would happen.)
Christmas was also held at Memere and Pepere's farm, with those who had the second set of grandparents generally visiting them on Christmas Eve so that we would all be at the farm for Christmas Day. (My grandparents on my dad's side were both deceased by the time I was celebrating my 6th Christmas, so I only remember the celebration with my mom's side.) There was, once again, a huge feast with every family contributing something, then the opening of the presents once the ladies had done up the dishes and were able to join us. My Uncle Dick, not much of a singer himself, but very enthusiastic about singing, would lead the children in song while we waited - and sometimes, what he called for wasn't necessarily what we sang. There was one year that is fondly remembered when Three Dog Night had put out a song called "Joy to the World", and when he asked for "Joy to the World", we all looked at each other and broke out with the first line: "Jeremiah was a bullfrog. Was a good friend of mine." (The look on his face was priceless......)
Tomorrow, I'll be continuing with what has become our current tradition. My husband will probably go out and take a walk through the woods under the premise of hunting for one of the last days that deer hunting is allowed. (He's never shot anything, so I think of it as his fall hiking trips with a gun under his arm....*grin*) I'll be up early, preparing enough food for a small army. Our children, who are now out of the house, will probably stop in at some point to either join in the feast or get some yummy leftovers to take home and devour at their leisure. Even in my own house, the "family holiday" has mutated into something that doesn't involve much "family" because of work schedules that don't mesh well.
As I stated in an earlier post, my hope for the future is that I'll eventually have a piece of property with a large lodge house and a bunch of guest cabins for friends and family. My wish for the future of my Thanksgiving and Christmas tradition is that I can, someday, have a place where people can come and stay comfortably for a few days, to visit and have a huge feast like the ones we had when I was young. If my books begin to sell nicely, it would be very nice to be able to offer food and sanctuary to those who need to get away from the world, ignore the fact that the retail industry is forcing Christmas shopping to start earlier each year, and come to a place in the Maine woods where a relaxing time can be had by all.
By the way, I have never gone to a Black Friday sale and never wish to. (My husband and daughter went for a special gift for me a couple of years back and it's a wonder I didn't have to bail them out of jail, it was so violent.) Truth be told, my Christmas shopping never stops, as I find things that I think people will like, purchase them, and put them in a special hidey spot all year round. I was a little shorter on funds this year than in years past, but there are things in the hidey spot just waiting for "wrapping day". For the past two years in retail, I simply have tried to help out the customers, clear them through my check out line as fast as possible, and avoid getting hit, as I'm one of those people who won't recall doing so, but will injure anyone stupid enough to hit me. (The old quote from television's The Hulk could be modified to fit me: "Don't make [her] angry. You wouldn't like [her] when [she's] angry.")
Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate it....or Happy Hanukkah....or whatever you celebrate during this holiday-heavy time of year.
Funny how the separate holidays that I remember celebrating individually as a child have all become one giant retail mess these days. It starts with the Back To School sales, which clear the merchandise off the aisles for Halloween, which clears the same aisles for the Thanksgiving/Christmas merchandise...
I liked it better before all the hoopla of Black Friday became such a huge thing. Yes, I know that it technically started in the 1960's, but as a small child, I never HEARD of stores opening at midnight, or shoppers getting punched by other shoppers because someone wanted something that they didn't get into their own cart in time...
But since I could go on for a huge rant about the world going to Hell in a hand basket and the related bad behavior we see on days like Black Friday - and that isn't what I came here to talk about - I'll just end that there and take a step back.
I came to talk about family, and the celebrations that we used to have with them when I was young. Thanksgiving was a huge gathering at Memere and Pepere's farm, with everyone contributing something toward the feast. The adults ate at the big table in the kitchen. Due to a space issue, the children all ate at smaller tables in the living room. The food was served up buffet style with as many trips back to refill one's plate as could be accomplished without technically exploding from eating too much. (I reference Monty Python's "The Meaning of Life" - specifically the "Mr. Creosote" scene: http://youtu.be/lhbHTjMLN5c to show what we always thought would happen.)
Christmas was also held at Memere and Pepere's farm, with those who had the second set of grandparents generally visiting them on Christmas Eve so that we would all be at the farm for Christmas Day. (My grandparents on my dad's side were both deceased by the time I was celebrating my 6th Christmas, so I only remember the celebration with my mom's side.) There was, once again, a huge feast with every family contributing something, then the opening of the presents once the ladies had done up the dishes and were able to join us. My Uncle Dick, not much of a singer himself, but very enthusiastic about singing, would lead the children in song while we waited - and sometimes, what he called for wasn't necessarily what we sang. There was one year that is fondly remembered when Three Dog Night had put out a song called "Joy to the World", and when he asked for "Joy to the World", we all looked at each other and broke out with the first line: "Jeremiah was a bullfrog. Was a good friend of mine." (The look on his face was priceless......)
Tomorrow, I'll be continuing with what has become our current tradition. My husband will probably go out and take a walk through the woods under the premise of hunting for one of the last days that deer hunting is allowed. (He's never shot anything, so I think of it as his fall hiking trips with a gun under his arm....*grin*) I'll be up early, preparing enough food for a small army. Our children, who are now out of the house, will probably stop in at some point to either join in the feast or get some yummy leftovers to take home and devour at their leisure. Even in my own house, the "family holiday" has mutated into something that doesn't involve much "family" because of work schedules that don't mesh well.
As I stated in an earlier post, my hope for the future is that I'll eventually have a piece of property with a large lodge house and a bunch of guest cabins for friends and family. My wish for the future of my Thanksgiving and Christmas tradition is that I can, someday, have a place where people can come and stay comfortably for a few days, to visit and have a huge feast like the ones we had when I was young. If my books begin to sell nicely, it would be very nice to be able to offer food and sanctuary to those who need to get away from the world, ignore the fact that the retail industry is forcing Christmas shopping to start earlier each year, and come to a place in the Maine woods where a relaxing time can be had by all.
By the way, I have never gone to a Black Friday sale and never wish to. (My husband and daughter went for a special gift for me a couple of years back and it's a wonder I didn't have to bail them out of jail, it was so violent.) Truth be told, my Christmas shopping never stops, as I find things that I think people will like, purchase them, and put them in a special hidey spot all year round. I was a little shorter on funds this year than in years past, but there are things in the hidey spot just waiting for "wrapping day". For the past two years in retail, I simply have tried to help out the customers, clear them through my check out line as fast as possible, and avoid getting hit, as I'm one of those people who won't recall doing so, but will injure anyone stupid enough to hit me. (The old quote from television's The Hulk could be modified to fit me: "Don't make [her] angry. You wouldn't like [her] when [she's] angry.")
Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate it....or Happy Hanukkah....or whatever you celebrate during this holiday-heavy time of year.
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