For decades (am I so old that I can actually use "decades" to indicate time periods in my life...ugh!) the plan for Thanksgiving Day has been my immediate family getting together at my Aunt Sue's home for dinner. In the beginning of this tradition it was me, my brother, father, my grandparents, my Aunt Sue and Uncle Gary, my Uncle Paul, and my two cousins. In the past few years, with everyone growing up and the grandparents passing away, the annual gathering at Aunt Sue's has shrunk to five or six of us at the house.
What has been consistent through all of these years has been gathering at Sue's house. That changed last year!
Last November, I was told that it was decided our Thanksgiving dinner would not be at Sue's for the first time in my life. We were going to be having Thanksgiving Day dinner at a restaurant. I was not at all thrilled by this concept. Change is never easy, and neither was this...especially for me. I went to dinner last year, but it did NOT feel like Thanksgiving to me. It simply felt like another dinner we would have had on any other night. While I was happy to get together with my family, I just had this sense of sadness.
To be honest, I had forgotten about last Thanksgiving's dining-out experiment last year...until today! My father informed me tonight that we would be eating out again this year for Thanksgiving. My heart sunk on some level. Dad went on to say that he was unsure what my plans were, but he would love for me to be there. Of course, I am going to be there! Where else am I going to be going?
Here is my question to all of you...Am I being ridiculous for having such strong feelings about eating out for Thanksgiving instead of going to my Aunt Sue's for dinner? Why am I having such strong feelings? Why am I feeling so lost on this holiday?
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I think you're one into tradition like myself, so it has a special place in your heart.
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine eating at a restaurant on Thanksgiving as it is so mundane/everyday, and doesn't really denote a special occasion.
Maybe you should do something to make the holiday special for you/your family. Perhaps you should bake a pie/holiday treat tonight, then go over to someone's house and indulge.
It is easy to say that you should just be happy to have your family in one room, but I understand the feeling of loss, when a tradition changes.
ReplyDeleteThe reason holiday's like this is that feeling of closeness and familiarity. It can be difficult to deal with when it changes.