Now that Halloween is over and most of the decorations put away it's time to think about Thanksgiving. I have a few decorations for that, although my favorite ones have long since been relegated to the trash bin. For many years I had two Pilgrims, a man and a lady. These Pilgrims, in stereotypical costumes, the hat, the buckles and all that, were made out of small melted plastic chips. Do you remember those? I haven't seen them around in years, perhaps the environmental people had something to do with their demise. Strange to think that they are considered vintage these days. Well a lot of the things I like are vintage. Heck my memories are vintage.
I don't have small children anymore and wonder what they are teaching the children about Pilgrims these days. I was certainly taught an idealized story about all that. John Smith and Pocahontas, a big feast, the stalwart Pilgrims surviving in the wilderness. The Pilgrims thanked the wild Indians for their help and told them about God. I do know the story is a bit different these days. Well we don't have Indians anymore, just native Americans. And I suppose you are not supposed to talk about the Christian God or any God for that matter. The Pilgrims were invaders! Well, give it time and the story will be rewritten once again. Yes the Pilgrims went from refugees from religious persecution to an invading hoard. My Pilgrims just got brittle from being in the sun for too many years and broke in half. Maybe it was climate change.
Thanksgiving, a day to eat excessive amounts of food. Yes I was taught it was a day to give thanks to the almighty for the bounties of the land. We did that, grace was always said at Thanksgiving dinner. It was one of the few times during the year that it would take place. Other than that Thanksgiving was just a day to eat turkey with all the trimmings. No school but you had to dress up, at home, even when you weren't going out. If you are having dinner with Jesus you get dressed up! It's a lesson I haven't forgotten and still practice to this day. Okay maybe the dress code has relaxed just a bit, but still a bit more formal than everyday. Our family does try to gather, just not everyone in the same year.That's what happens when people live in different states instead of a different part of town, or the next town over. So yeah, it alternates.
Now a vintage Thanksgiving in my childhood home went something like this. You got up, had breakfast and helped clean the house. The house would be cleaned whether anyone else was coming or not. The bowl of mixed nuts would be on the coffee table. Always mixed nuts and we always tried to open those brazil nuts. Now we didn't call them brazil nuts in those days. That's all I'm going to say about that. Sometimes there would be dates. I never ate one and most likely never will. They just don't look appealing to me. Celery and cream cheese or peanut butter was a treat, as were the stuffed olives. Cheese and crackers may be offered. Those were the pre dinner staples. When all was ready we got dressed up. You had to put on your Sunday clothes.
Mom would be cooking all day, barking out her orders. When it came time to make the gravy, that was Dad's job. Dad always made the gravy for reasons I can't explain. He seldom cooked but gravy was his thing. Time to eat, grace would be said after a discussion of who had to say it this year. Everyone was reluctant to assume that responsibility. It was always an awkward moment and I'm not certain why. But it would be said with a nervous tension in the air.
The Turkey was then carved, at the table. After the meal everything relaxed. The pressure was off. All that was left was desert. Apple pie, maybe Lemon Margarine, and always a mince meat pie for Dad. He loved that stuff and as far as I know everyone else thought it was disgusting, I know I do. All that was followed by the clean up. Thanksgiving would be over by the evening news. Oh, yes the Thanksgiving Day parade. That's when we first saw Santa Claus. At the very end of the parade. His arrival signaled the end of Thanksgiving. Time to stop giving thanks and start wishing for your Christmas gifts. The Indians have been tamed, Peace on Earth and good will toward men.
Remember these guys?
I don't have small children anymore and wonder what they are teaching the children about Pilgrims these days. I was certainly taught an idealized story about all that. John Smith and Pocahontas, a big feast, the stalwart Pilgrims surviving in the wilderness. The Pilgrims thanked the wild Indians for their help and told them about God. I do know the story is a bit different these days. Well we don't have Indians anymore, just native Americans. And I suppose you are not supposed to talk about the Christian God or any God for that matter. The Pilgrims were invaders! Well, give it time and the story will be rewritten once again. Yes the Pilgrims went from refugees from religious persecution to an invading hoard. My Pilgrims just got brittle from being in the sun for too many years and broke in half. Maybe it was climate change.
Thanksgiving, a day to eat excessive amounts of food. Yes I was taught it was a day to give thanks to the almighty for the bounties of the land. We did that, grace was always said at Thanksgiving dinner. It was one of the few times during the year that it would take place. Other than that Thanksgiving was just a day to eat turkey with all the trimmings. No school but you had to dress up, at home, even when you weren't going out. If you are having dinner with Jesus you get dressed up! It's a lesson I haven't forgotten and still practice to this day. Okay maybe the dress code has relaxed just a bit, but still a bit more formal than everyday. Our family does try to gather, just not everyone in the same year.That's what happens when people live in different states instead of a different part of town, or the next town over. So yeah, it alternates.
Now a vintage Thanksgiving in my childhood home went something like this. You got up, had breakfast and helped clean the house. The house would be cleaned whether anyone else was coming or not. The bowl of mixed nuts would be on the coffee table. Always mixed nuts and we always tried to open those brazil nuts. Now we didn't call them brazil nuts in those days. That's all I'm going to say about that. Sometimes there would be dates. I never ate one and most likely never will. They just don't look appealing to me. Celery and cream cheese or peanut butter was a treat, as were the stuffed olives. Cheese and crackers may be offered. Those were the pre dinner staples. When all was ready we got dressed up. You had to put on your Sunday clothes.
Mom would be cooking all day, barking out her orders. When it came time to make the gravy, that was Dad's job. Dad always made the gravy for reasons I can't explain. He seldom cooked but gravy was his thing. Time to eat, grace would be said after a discussion of who had to say it this year. Everyone was reluctant to assume that responsibility. It was always an awkward moment and I'm not certain why. But it would be said with a nervous tension in the air.
The Turkey was then carved, at the table. After the meal everything relaxed. The pressure was off. All that was left was desert. Apple pie, maybe Lemon Margarine, and always a mince meat pie for Dad. He loved that stuff and as far as I know everyone else thought it was disgusting, I know I do. All that was followed by the clean up. Thanksgiving would be over by the evening news. Oh, yes the Thanksgiving Day parade. That's when we first saw Santa Claus. At the very end of the parade. His arrival signaled the end of Thanksgiving. Time to stop giving thanks and start wishing for your Christmas gifts. The Indians have been tamed, Peace on Earth and good will toward men.
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