I can't believe Turkey Day is right around the corner already. Then comes Christmas. It all seems to sneak up now but, as a friend of mine was saying last week, when you're a kid, it seems to take FOREVER to get to Christmas. And, really, as a youngster you're in it mostly for the gifts. It's not until you're older that you appreciate the broader picture, as with most things in life. But I used to love the holidays when I was little because I got to just run around and be crazy with my cousins. It's almost the same reason I love them now. Thanksgiving was slightly traumatizing to me as a child because one year my Grandma and Mom tried to cook a full turkey on their own. lol It was hysterical. No bird, alive or not, should have to go through what that poor turkey did. But it's a sad holiday too because my Grandma died a few years later the week before Thanksgiving. It's hard to lose anyone at anytime but around the holidays is the worst. I remember the last month and a half of that year being so...out of focus for everyone. We celebrated and all, but it just hasn't ever been quite the same since. For years, after my Grandma's death, we spent the holiday at my Great Grandparents house. I loved that house, we all did. It wasn't massive but it had a basement with a bar and dance floor and a second living room and kitchen. We spent so many years down there just being together. I remember the Christmas tree in the corner and the pictures of all of us kids on the dance floor opening our gifts. All beautiful memories from a pretty damn good childhood. My Great Grandparents sold that house a few years back and, this year, Grandma passed away and Grandpa's moved out of state.
After they sold the house, we started doing Thanksgiving at a hall every year because there were so freakin' many of us and because my family practically adopts anyone and everyone. It was fun, the annual football games and the karaoke and dancing. But last year, we kinda all got off track and busy with other things and totally spaced out reserving the hall. So we had to have it at the family house, which is quite the party house as it is but we always thought it would be small for the number of people we have every year. It turns out it was pretty nice last year on Thanksgiving so we could spill out into the yard and we all had a pretty damn good time. It wasn't cramped at all. This year, both Christmas and Thanksgiving are gonna be at the house again. But we're much better prepared, should the weather not cooperate as well as it did last year. The basement is finally finished and looks very much like the Great Grandparents old basement, except it is quite a bit bigger and has a karaoke stage now. lol. And if we need the extra room, there's this big...I don't know what you'd call it, outside temporary addition, to the house. So, even if it does snow or rain or whatever, we're pretty much covered up and don't have to worry.
It's nice to have everyone at the house though. It's typically a very busy household on a daily basis anyway, but around the holidays it works out if someone can't drive home or just doesn't want to. No one has to clean up a hall and then go home to chill out. We can just chill out all day, eat and then do whatever the heck else we want to. This year will still be sadder than the last few. We lost three wonderful women this year and, to make matters worse for me, I found some pictures in the attic yesterday of a few years back on Thanksgiving. My Nonnie added her traditional Italian feast to the mix and, my God, no one ate for days afterwards. lol. We were too full. And that's another thing we'll miss this year.
But there are new things coming into the fold at this Thanksgiving. The mother of my child didn't grow up in a strong family environment and she really wants that for our kid. It'll start this year, she's coming to the feast. We're still very much undefined as a couple or whatever we are but we're still managing to work together on all things baby. It's crazy to think that we'll actually have a baby at the family parties next year.
