Thanksgiving alone?

Thanksgiving a la Norman Rockwell

I honestly thought I was going to end up spending this Thanksgiving alone.  The prospect bothered me immensely, and I realized that Thanksgiving is, perhaps, my favorite holiday.  It’s more laid back than Christmas.  It involves cooking for others, which I always enjoy.  And it doesn’t require loads of decorations and presents, just a turkey and side dishes, and loved ones with whom to share a meal.

My childhood Thanksgivings are happy memories.  They usually took place at Grandma's house, where she did most of the cooking and other family members contributed various desserts or a jello salad side dish.  The meal involved passing lots of Grandma’s best china around her long dining room table, eating delicious food, and laughing with family.  I suppose it is that sense of family that I am trying to recapture when I make my own Thanksgivings now.

The first Thanksgiving meal I ever cooked was, perhaps appropriately, after I had moved to Oregon in 2000.  I did the whole thing myself – turkey, gravy, two kinds of potatoes, stuffing, green bean casserole, scalloped corn (a family tradition), and dessert.  I made the meal for myself, my then beau, and his friend, another voluntarily displaced Hoosier.  For that meal, we became a little family unit and it was excellent.

Until a few days ago, the last Thanksgiving meal I cooked was two years ago.  I, again, did the whole thing myself.  That has become a personal tradition that I actually enjoy.  It is absolutely rewarding to prepare food for someone you love.  I did that two years ago, and he was appreciative and helpful and we were a loving family of two and I was content.  His only request was that we finish the meal in the living room rather than at the dining room table so that we could watch football. 

This year I found myself approaching a Thanksgiving alone as my adopted Oregon family had made other plans.  They tried to include me in those plans, but I was wary of inserting myself.  I considered just making a small meal for myself and sharing turkey with the cats.  It only took me a moment to deem that prospect pathetic.  Then my adopted Oregon family emailed to say they had spent so much money at the grocery store that they had been given a free turkey.  My friend had to work, but if I wanted to come over and cook the meal, we could have Thanksgiving on the Saturday before the actual holiday.  I gladly agreed and so found myself, two days ago, making a Thanksgiving meal in the home of my friends.  We sat down later and enjoyed a good meal, had an excellent conversation, and expressed gratitude for the good things in our lives.