And now we celebrate with long tables full of food. The kitchen hums and the windows steam. The TV gets a workout, starting with the Macy’s parade, then blossoming into football, that land-grab game that we worship.
Hey, Coach, put me in!
Some say that every day should be Thanksgiving, but who could eat that much on a consistent basis and not explode? In college, I ate everything within sight. These days, I prefer smaller portions and lots of grains.
Kids, don’t ever grow old.
But I make an exception for feasts like this. On Thanksgiving, all bets (and belts) are off.
There is a lot of love in our kitchens on Thursday, also a lot of pure science. Richter’s Law of Reciprocal Proportions, Dalton’s Law of Partial Pressures, Uncle Charlie’s Law of Exploding Gases.
I made that last one up, but if you know Uncle Charlie….
Point is we live large on Thanksgiving. Portion control flies out the door. A well-timed, bass-drum belch is almost a tradition. Think of it as a lion’s roar.
Please include those who might be alone. Me, for instance. Send a Town Car if you can. I’ll be standing by the curb with a bunch of Pilgrim balloons and a willowy girlfriend who keeps asking: “Where are we going again? How did this happen? Why do you get us into these things?”
As with life, I have no answers.
But I do recommend putting your precious phones away for an hour or two. No really, you can do it. It’ll be torture at first, sure.
Putting your phone aside will let you immerse yourself in a board game, or an argument over the Dallas Cowboys. Baste the turkey. Stir the gravy. Wrestle on the rug if you like. Offer to take the trash out, then chase the dog ’round and ’round the kitchen (that’ll go over super well).
When they kick you out, toss the football in the backyard, maybe get a game going. Remember, the swing set is the end zone. The hedge is out of bounds. Game ends when someone pulls a groin.
What do I bring to Thanksgiving week? Not much. I’m a lover of history and a big fan of tradition – big surprise? Out come the corduroy pants and the goofy plaid vests. This is the only time of year I don’t mind dressing up a little. Honest. In summer, I’d just as soon go naked to a wedding – a Speed-O at most. Which explains why I get invited to so many Irish weddings.
Beginning now, as winter nears, you can layer me like a cake. As I age up, I’m generally a little chilly. I jiggle when I breathe, like Aunt Sadie’s Jello-O salad, the one with little marshmallows. At night, I pull the quilt right up to my chin.
Be forewarned: At Thanksgiving dinner, I give long rambling toasts with no real point. It leaves others bewildered, yet on their toes. Who is this crazy red-faced man? Is he medicated?
Obviously. I’m on tryptophan mostly (100 milligrams). And other traditional holiday sedatives (bourbon, gravy).
After the feast, I’ll just sit there like a sea turtle. My mind and mouth totally shut down, which is a relief to everyone. Sometimes my kids stand and applaud.
“What happened to him?” other guests will wonder.
Thanksgiving.
I bask in this radiant American rite. It’s fallen out of favor for some, who see it as a symbol of something evil. I see it as a sharing of cultures, something we should embrace. I see it as honoring a helping hand in difficult times, which we all need at some point in our lives.
Did it lead to some questionable outcomes? Hey Beavis, history is riddled with questionable outcomes. This hot-mess of a world is always a tug-of-war over resources and need.
So, when a day dedicated to grace and humanity comes along, we might best sit up and embrace it.
Amen the pumpkin pie.
Amen the cranky brother-in-law who has to be right all the time.
Amen the cooks who pile this holiday on their finest platters, then sit exhausted as the guests race through dinner in 20 minutes.
Did I mention the pie? The second helpings? The homemade whipped cream? Or that aerosol Reddi-Wip, Heaven in a can?
Amen to all of it.
And, on this luminous American holiday, amen to you.
Blessed Thankfulness week and especially those whom gather together offering thanks to God for every blessing!
Thanks for the cheerful uplift we are all thankful for in your posts. May this Thanksgiving be a beautiful one for you, Suzanne, your growing, glowing family, pups and all of your faithful readers and their loved ones. The season would not be as warm and poignant and fulfilling without you. Cheers, Chris.
Amen to all of the above! Amen to a happy Thanksgiving! Amen to a well-crafted column!
BTW, is Smartacus going to be able to join you for Thanksgiving this year? A few weeks back you were concerned about the thin 30-minute layover in Seattle, if memory serves. I hope that things might have settled down with the government opening up again, and air traffic controllers getting paid, and not so many flights cancelled?
I love the Peanuts cartoon panel with Linus about to dive bomb a huge pile of leaves that Charlie Brown has so carefully assembled. (I can relate to that.)
I hope that you get that Thanksgiving Town Car ride with Suzanne tommorow — wherever it takes you. Happy Thanksgiving!
Hi Kay, Smartacus is winging his way to LAX as we speak. Thank you for the nice thoughts. Happy Thanksgiving!
Homemade whip cream is a delight but am I the only one that keeps that can of reddi whip in the fridge for emergencies?
Have a blessed thanksgiving—I’ll be on the curb.
Happy Thanksgiving!
I have that brother in law. But mine cannot engage in a joyful conversation. It’s gotta be all about business!
But thankfully it’s not about politics.
That’s it, Joe. Focus on the good stuff. Happy Thanksgiving!
blessings to you and all those beautiful babies Chris ~ ~ the tall ones and the smalls ~ ~
You always give me laughs Chris! Hope Smart gets back! Oldest Grand comes in from Davis to LAX — finger’s crossed!!
Hope it’s the happiest for your clan. — great photo ops ahead.
P.S. If desperate, what about Cool Whip :)_? Blessings!
Smartacus made it! Hope your grand does too! Nothing wrong with Cool Whip except I eat the whole tub! Happy Thanksgiving.
I think people need to look at Thanksgiving from the gratitude aspect rather than Pilgrims vs Native Americans. We spend a day with family and or friends feeling blessed and sharing food and drink. It’s a wonderful pause in life. Soak it all up and forget about shopping for a day.
Agreed!
Love the column and the comments! Happy Thanksgiving to the Erskine clan and all your readers!
Thanks Jamee. Best to Tim!
Looking Into The Holidays
Wherever you go is where you end
And I, for one, always go around
The bend to squint at the next big thing
Which might be snow–unless it is Spring;
Yet it is almost through November
I have Summer’s heat to remember
And Fall has been unusually cool
Recent rains a fluid oracle
Of the penetrating cold to come
Its numbing blasts of water like some
Amorphous shrike keening in the rain–
Winter’s harpy lyrical with pain
And if that whining hurt sings of where
We’ll go, I’ll start to look for snow
In the feelings and the atmosphere
Chill silence what is maybe in store here;
But for now I feel a touch inclined
To put some Summer heat in the mind
Of Thanksgiving, so I’m flying blind
Into the holiday–Christmas too;
Whatever the bends that lie ahead
Some twisty heat belongs in the bed
So while I don’t know what is coming
A Christmas song or two is humming
Somewhere in the uncertain air
A bit of yule log heat rising there
Winter thoughts melting down to surprise-
Turning snow to smoke in your dark eyes;
If uncertainty is Winter’s fare
Let us, at least, lay sweet issues bare
The New Year beyond what carols sing;
Let there be swaying like church bells swing–
Some tolling and clinging for a start
Up ahead perhaps performance art;
I may not know, in this late inning
Ends of the holidays’ beginning
But reading–as fallen leaves expire–
What’s seen in their writhe is Christmas fire…
…We have only nine at the table this year, others going to in-laws or other extended relations, scattering like the veritable leaves noted above, with notably no dogs milling underfoot. Things may seem a bit subdued, the mood one of genial warmth with the spice of chaos seasoning other fare, but the essential richness of affection , to me, seems assured. All the beautiful feelings of this time to you and yours, my friend, and the same to all who listen here. If alone, blessings; know that you are in our mind, like distant extended family…we are thankful for.
……………………..–Christmas too
I’m airborne a lot with thoughts of you;
Still, after tomorrow’s pleasures, Black Friday may not be. What clear, warm, beautiful days these are, after the rains.
Hope all goes well tomorrow! Thanks for reminding us of all that is good. Praying things get better, that’s our prayer. Big hugs to Suzanne, we lost all to a fire once and all we had were pictures someone took of our fabulous thanksgivings we had in our house. We’re all still here so that’s the best blessing. Love your family !
Life does go on, somehow. Hoping 2026 is a better year. Happy holidays from our home to yours.