Thanksgiving Memories

I love Thanksgiving. The food. The family gatherings. The laughter and the shared memories.

Memories. For some reason I can only remember two Thanksgivings between ages four and twenty-one. I find that odd since I have such a great love for the holiday.

Thanksgiving 1969 stands out for reasons outside of the day itself. My step-father's sixteen year old daugher had died the previous week in an auto accident. His two sons were both in the military and were allowed home on grievance leave. Scott the older brother was home from Vietnam while Mike was stationed stateside.

The celebration itself was lowkey. Immediate family only. There is one picture from this Thanksgiving of everyone except my mom gathered around the table. Golden turkey in the foreground. Mom was obviously the photographer.

Thanksgiving 1973 stands out for the sole reason that it was the year of my mom's rebellion. Working full time left little room for preparation during the week. Thanksgiving eve usually found her still up at two or three in the morning prepping food for the big day.

Her goal each year was to have the turkey on the table by three in the afternoon. This year was no exception and after hours of work a beautiful bird was gracing the table with all the trimmings. The children and wives were at the table forks in hand ready to eat. The men however, were nowhere to be found.

Mom found them still in the living room, eyes glazed over, glued to the idiot box. Hypnotized by the days football games. Communication was impossible. Though my mom attempted to pry them from the television longer than most women would have.

Finally in a fit of frustration she moved behind the television ripping the power cord from the wall. Startled back to reality the men were unable to mount a protest before she stomped from the room locking herself in her bedroom.

Fifteen minutes of groveling by my step-father ensued before she would come out of the room and join us for dinner. The cord of course remained hidden until all of the guests had left.

Needless to say it was the last Thanksgiving she had to announce dinner more than once before the men came running.