Happy Thanksgivin'

Well let's just say I've been away from my blog for a while! I hope all 3 of you didn't miss me.

I cannot believe we once again find ourselves at Thanksgiving. This happens to be one of my favorite holidays. I LOVE the food, the thoughts of gratitude, and the fun of being with family.

Thanksgiving has changed a lot over the years. As kids, we would all get up early, pile into Uncle Arthur's van, and drive to Manhattan for the Macy's parade. Despite my complaining, especially as I got older, this was great fun. I swear it was 20 degrees every year, not the balmy Novembers we have now. After the parade, we would go out for a HUGE breakfast and then have dinner later. Now that was some eatin'!

As I became an older teen and into my early 20's, the Wed. night before Thanksgiving was a big party night. As such, I missed the parade, likely because I arrived home about 2 hours before it started, and spent many a turkey dinner with a huge hangover.

When I lived out on the west coast I did not come home for Thanksgiving because I usually came home for Christmas. So I was one of those people who ended up as a random guest at someone else's home, since I was somewhat of an orphan (insert sobbing sounds and my parents' voice saying "Well no one told you to move across the country...").

Some Thanksgivings I barely remember. Here are a few strange ones. These all took place between 1992 and 2000, but I don't remember which year was which:

1. I cooked an entire Thanksgiving meal by myself and had two strangers in my house. They were friends of my then-boyfriend, but I cannot recall anything about these people, or why they came to our apartment for Thanksgiving dinner.

2. Had dinner with a bunch of older hippies, who were the family of another guy I was dating at the time. I think we all went to the movies that night and saw a Woody Allen movie, but I have no idea what it was.

3. Had a great meal with a bunch of work friends, one of whom went onto graduate first in his class at UC Berkeley Law School and started his law career as a clerk for Ruth Bader Ginsberg. Hmmm, wonder f he's making TONS of money now....maybe I better find him on Facebook.

4. Another meal with more hippies who were close friends. One of us (not me!) ended up playing the piano and we all sat around singing these crazy songs after dinner.

5. This one is a little more clear in my mind, likely because it's the most recent. Malcolm and I drove up to Oregon to see our friends Mike and Carolyn. We had the meal catered, and after stuffing ourselves sat around in big comfy chairs watching silly movies, one of which was called "Fandango." It stars a very young Kevin Costner, and after about 6 bottles of wine it's very funny.

Thanksgiving is a little more structured these days. We either celebrate at my Aunt Paula's or at my in-laws. Being grateful is more of a theme than it ever was when I was single and child-free. I love my Thanksgivings with family, but I am glad I had those crazy CA Thanksgivings as well. It's good to have a mix of experiences in life. So Happy Thanksgiving...may you not have a hangover or be dragged to a horrible Black Friday sale!