Happy Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving
I often tell people that Hasty Book List is a personal blog disguised as book reviews - but this post is just a blog post. The good old fashioned blog post where I talk about life and, because it is Thanksgiving Day, what I'm thankful for. I was never very good at keeping a journal - just a few months ago I was cleaning out my childhood stuff that's been stored in my parents' basement and I found four different journals/diaries where I had written in the first few pages and then gave up. Also - going back to read those old entries just makes me cringe. So I probably won't be doing a lot of these blog posts...we'll see. Never say never and all of that. And finally, I'm better with structure...think about all those 5 Books to Read posts...and this blog is called Hasty Book List. So although this list isn't centered around books, it is a list created by Ashley Hasty so I think it works. Two out of three 'aint bad.
5 Things I'm Thankful for on Thanksgiving | Photo by Kathleen Virginia Page
5 Things I'm Thankful for on Thanksgiving
1. Food
For as long as I can remember, I've never liked any food associated with Thanksgiving. When I tell people this, they often play this game where they list all of the Thanksgiving foods they can think of and one by one I assure them that I don't like it. So here goes: turkey, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, gravy, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole (especially the kind with marshmallows on top - gag), pecan pie. Over time and as my palette matured, I've grown to like ham and pumpkin pie. So why do I put food at the top of my list of things I'm thankful for this Thanksgiving? Because I have the world's greatest family who makes non-traditional foods just for me on Thanksgiving. At the very top of people who've accommodated my weird taste in foods: my dad. He always goes above and beyond on any special occasion to create a meal we'll remember for years to come. My favorite Thanksgiving was when he made a Crown Roast - it was so beautiful on the table and it was delicious. Other memorable Thanksgiving meals included a Beef Wellington and a meatball sampler which my husband dubbed "Night of a Million Meatballs." For the longest time, I never told my Grandma that I didn't care for Thanksgiving food - she worked so hard every year to create a fantastic meal for the family so I just took small portions of each and stomached it the best I could. One year she commented that I never ate much and it came out that I didn't like Thanksgiving food - ever since she made a meatloaf just for me (I do share...its amazing how many people want meatloaf on Thanksgiving!) And most recently, my in-laws. I'm not sure I've ever come out and said that I don't care for Thanksgiving food, but regardless, they make some of my favorite side dishes of all time. There is a cheesy potato casserole that they make topped with corn flakes. I pile two large spoonfuls of that on my plate and I'm happy as pie. Speaking of which, almost everyone has pumpkin pie which has become my favorite dessert - no matter the time of year - so I take a healthy (think large...not actually healthy) portion of pie at each meal.
5 Things I'm Thankful for on Thanksgiving | Photo by Kathleen Virginia Page
2. The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
I love love love LOVE watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade! It is so. festive. Nothing gets me in the mood to celebrate the holidays like seeing the large balloons parading through the streets of New York, watching the various performances from Broadway musicals, and Googling the latest singers that all the kids enjoy these days (one of the few times I realize I'm getting old - most of the time I still feel 22.) I still schedule my Thanksgiving Day travel around when the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade will be on television. Some of my strongest childhood memories of Thanksgiving are watching the parade - no matter where I happened to be (my parents' house or either of my grandparents' house.) I especially enjoy this time in contrast to the rest of the day which is spent watching football (snooze fest.)
5 Things I'm Thankful for on Thanksgiving | Photo by Kathleen Virginia Page
3. Those hours after eating where everyone falls asleep on the sofa watching football
These are the hours that I spend reading. I am a classic introvert. I love hanging out with friends and family, but after a few hours I'm wiped out...drained of energy...and I need some quite recuperation time by myself. After everyone has stuffed themselves with the aforementioned food, they fall asleep watching whatever football game is currently being televised. This is my moment to retreat to my bedroom, pull out my latest novel, and lose myself in a really good story. This year I'll be reading a book about the history of Christmas (now that I'm a blogger I have to work ahead so that I can share with you my reviews before Christmas has come and gone!) But if you're looking for a really good book to read, check out my list of 5 Books to Read This Thanksgiving - there is a little something for everyone. And no, I don't expect you to read all 5 books...someone commented on my Instagram post that 5 books over Thanksgiving break was a bit ambitious. Hahahahaha!
5 Things I'm Thankful for on Thanksgiving | Photo by Kathleen Virginia Page
4. Friendsgiving
Whoever came up with Friendsgiving is a genius. Thanksgiving is all about spending time with family, including those you choose (putting aside the history of Thanksgiving for a moment and just going with the more commercial version...) So I enjoy calling up my friends (who am I kidding? I text them...) who've all come back to our hometown to celebrate the holiday. It is an excellent opportunity to meet up with my childhood friends I haven't seen in awhile. We don't get a lot of time together (we each have multiple families to see while we are in town) but even just a few stolen minutes to catch up one morning is priceless. Often this is the only opportunity I get to meet my friends' new babies or fiances, especially now that we're scatted across the United States.
5 Things I'm Thankful for on Thanksgiving | Photo by Kathleen Virginia Page
5. Going back home
As much as I love visiting with family and friends, it is also so nice to go back to the peace and quiet of my own home. Have you ever seen the movie Four Christmases with Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn? That's what my Thanksgiving is like - so many families to visit and so little time. I want to see as many people as possible since I don't know when I'll get to see them next, this often means driving all over the state of Missouri so that we can see my parents, my grandparents, my aunts, uncles, and cousins, Eric's parents and his grandparents, and his aunts, uncles and cousins. So when the weekend is over and we are driving home - or better yet, once we've arrived home and we're about to go to sleep in our own beds...I'm so thankful for that moment. I'm filled up with the love and excitement of seeing my family and friends but also for the quiet moments when it is just my husband and me.
