Glen Proebstel
Okay, I don’t know if this is hitting anyone else like a ton of bricks… but Thanksgiving is oh, about six days away. Somehow it really managed to sneak up on me this year. I’m not sure how. My Pinterest is already beginning to fill with trees and lights and wrapping paper… but somehow it still feels like October. Somewhere in between the emails and ideas and eBay purchases (all for the wedding) I forgot to prepare for the holidays.
Which is not to say that I’m not ready to bake some pies (my meager contribution to this year’s dinner) but more to say that, mentally, I’m not sure I’m ready for it to be Thanksgiving.
When I was young, Thanksgiving was always an event. Family came from out of town and my grandparents welcomed them with a warm home and a huge meal. We dressed up, we caught up, the adults drank singapore slings (silly, but my grandpa makes an amazing singapore sling — in a fashion that looks much less like the Caribbean and much more like the holidays — and it’s one of my most cherished traditions).
Since I left home, Thanksgiving has somehow managed to slip farther and farther from the agenda. My family is spread all over the country, and my sister has a large family of her own. Since the holiday break is a short one we don’t usually travel, and everyone ends up celebrating in their own separate way. Sadly, because of this, a lot of the sentiment is lost.
We still have a celebration. Mark’s family live close by. Their home is warm and they always have a huge, delicious meal… none of that has changed. But I miss my family the most this time of year.
My mom mentioned that we might need to think of a new tradition that brings us all together… and I think she’s right. This needs to be done. Had Thanksgiving not been so sneaky this year, creeping up behind me like that, I might have managed to brainstorm a few ideas already… but, not so much.
Any creative solutions you employ to get your own family together for the holidays? Or have you settled into your own unique traditions?
If you still live close, give your mom a big hug for me at Thanksgiving this year, and don’t forget to take the time to appreciate just how lucky you are.
Here are a few things I’m loving…
Like I said, I’ve given in to the Christmas bug… come on, it’s only one week early, and look at these. They are amazing.
I want to go to the Portland Bazaar — and if you do, I hope you’ll tell me all about it. I want to live vicariously.
Great advice on blogging from Kat.
This chair, after… yes please.
Necessary.
Do you know how beautiful you would look on my feet?
Super cute and easy DIY glittered flatware.
Speaking of Thanksgiving.