Thanksgiving has got to be my least favorite of the major holidays.
We’re supposed to enjoy big family get-togethers with perfectly-cooked food. Maybe some football, maybe some early Black Friday shopping.
The reality is that we’re not all going to be sitting down to that big family dinner on Thursday. Some of us couldn’t manage to travel back home for one reason or another. Some of us may not get along with our families and may opt to skip it for that reason. Some of us may be spending the day with family but may not be able to afford the big dinner. Some of us may have so little that we’re not even worried about what day it is.
My heart breaks for one of my friends who chose to turn down an invitation to spend Thanksgiving with his sister’s family because it hurts him too much to celebrate the holiday and be reminded that both their parents are now gone.
My own dislike of celebrating Thanksgiving really grew the year that my father passed away – our small family gathering started to feel just a little bit too small. And I’ll probably never have my own family to share the holidays with. That’s something I’m pretty much okay with most of the year, but not when everything is focused on family togetherness.
Maybe I’m missing the point. Dad’s not with us, but mom’s still here. So here’s to trying to appreciate what we have to be thankful for, I guess.
And maybe Thanksgiving just sucks for pointing out all of the things that we’re missing while scolding us for not being thankful enough for whatever we do have.
I don’t know.
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