In just a few days we will be celebrating Thanksgiving here in the U.S.
Let’s just call it a day full of food, family, friends and football.
And pie.
But pie doesn’t tie in to my cute list of “F” items 😉
But yesssss… pie.
I do plot and plan a week out, make my list and check it twice ( oops wrong holiday) and preparations are in full swing the Wednesday beforehand ( someone’s gotta make all those pies!)
Anyway, without fail, every year I find myself admiring the magazines with the full color , glossy beautiful spread of festive Thanksgiving tables.
The perfect china. The spotless glassware. The glistening silver. The without fail amazing centerpiece crowning the table.
The entire, whole, perfectly browned turkey on the platter with lovely garnishes all around it waiting to have the matching cutting knife and fork taken to it.
All that’s missing is the family in a perfect matching ensemble seated expectantly around the table.
And all I can think is…. “For Real?”
Oh, it seems so ideally perfect and lovely. You know… “Norman Rockwell’ish”.
I’ve had late night fantasies about it…. fantasies…. ’cause no matter what my intentions are I know that it will just never unfold.
Our Thanksgivings tend to be on the more ordinary bend and look a bit like this…
By that I mean, I’m happy if I have enough chairs to squeeze everyone around the table and wonder if there are gonna be enough dinner forks or do I need to break out the salad forks ?
I really want to have a super cool table centerpiece, but, well on years I’ve had something clever it gets moved to make room for …you know.. the food.
The coffee is happily brewing but it’s not served in china cups.. my coffee mug collection has become a bit more eclectic over time.. kinda like me 😉
I usually have the turkey cut, wrapped and waiting, while attempting to keep my sons from grazing off of it.
My roomy kitchen starts to feel small as people arrive and hang out there.. I attempt to hold on to my organization of how things are running…
Football is already on, and the men in my family want it at levels to simulate being in a crowded stadium with 100,000 people.
It’s guaranteed I’m tripping over a dog who’s hoping I make a fatal move with some food that will land on the floor and they will be the clean up crew for it.
I’m trying to keep an eye on everything cooking on the stove, trying to remember what’s in ‘fridge that needs to go to table ( nothing like finding a dish or two still in there afterwards 😛 )
Somewhere in the midst of cooking and wrangling people, I’ve made an attempt to look somewhat put together and cute for the day. Given it’s usually warm on Thanksgiving it could mean I’m in shorts… sigh… no cute sweaters..
I have a million thoughts running through my head one of which is… “If I eat a piece of pie now, will anyone know?” haha
Somehow though, it all comes together.
The food all makes it to the table, it’s still mostly hot, everyone has a seat and a fork 😉
it’s often loud, crazy, and a bit chaotic. The football game has been (temporarily) quieted and I am grateful to finally sit down and enjoy the fruit of my labor.
My Thanksgivings might not look like the glossy pages from holiday magazine. But as everyone quiets down and we join hands and bow our head to give thanks for all the blessings we’ve been given and the plentiful amount of food before us I’m reminded again, it’s not in the trappings or how perfect I want everything to be that matters.
No. That’s not it at all.
It’s each and every person gathered around the table that matters and makes it meaningful to me, they are the gifts that I am most thankful for and grateful to have gathered with me.
That to me, is the deepest meaning of Thanksgiving. No matter where you are on our big planet, I hope you take a moment to give thanks for the blessings you have and the people who bless you, for that is what matters most in life.
sassyfitnesschick 