Monday, November 23, 2015

The Cozy Season


Happy Thanksgiving! The holidays are upon us. What will you be doing to make it easier on yourself? I have learned over the years that putting too much pressure on myself will guarantee a stressful holiday. Sure, we all want to get the cooking done but bringing in some prepared items such as the pies or side dishes will make for a more enjoyable experience. And some years you may have to bring in the whole dinner. Which is what I did last year. And I have to say it was the most magical Thanksgiving we ever had. 

With our new granddaughter just two days old and still in the hospital on Thanksgiving, my husband and I woke up that morning with no idea how we would be spending the day. Would the baby come home? Maybe, but we weren't sure. And where would we all be? It turned that she did come home and we helped our daughter, her husband, and the baby leave the hospital. Fortunately we had picked up prepared food from a nearby restaurant the day before not knowing where or with whom we would be celebrating Thanksgiving. I put a turkey in the oven in the morning, hoping that someone, somewhere would be eating it. When we got the call at 3:00 pm to come help them leave, we drove to the hospital and left the dinner in the fridge. In the back of my mind, I kept on picturing all that food and wondering how our Thanksgiving dinner would work. Would we get a chance to eat it? I knew no one would be coming back to our house for dinner. Somehow the food would need to get to my daughter's house. Or maybe not. It was a mass of confusion. Fortunately our younger daughter (the saint!) drove to our house while we were loading up the baby and two exhausted parents and picked up all the food.

We all reconvened at my daughter's house with a brand new baby and lots of chaos and confusion. The turkey and all the trimmings were sitting out on the kitchen counter. Into the oven it all went and dishes were set out for eating. Somehow we ate that dinner but I couldn't tell you how we pulled it together, what room we ate it in, or if we even all sat down together. It was a blur, but a happy one. The most important guest weighed about 8 pounds and was just getting to know her new home. We stared at her the whole time in a quiet state of wonder and amazement. A new member of our family had been born. And I believe we all shared a sense that a miracle had happened that Thanksgiving and that our holidays would never be the same.

This Thanksgiving she will have just turned one and will be joining us at our table in her highchair. She will taste turkey and mashed potatoes for the first time. I will always associate Thanksgiving with her birth. This year I will have the time to cook my normal Thanksgiving feast (with a little help from a nearby restaurant!) but I don't think the holiday will ever be as magical as the first year she graced us with her presence. But there will be magic. There always is. That's what the holidays are about.

Here's to a magical Thanksgiving from my house to yours!   

12 comments:

  1. What a wonderful story. My little Penny Lane will be one in February, so I know what a joy they are. Have a wondrous Thanksgiving, Sunday.

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  2. I so remember your waiting and not knowing about Thanksgiving last year. What a magical story. It will be fantastic to have Scarlett at the table and watch her eat the traditional foods. I wish I could bring in more of the side dishes, but we have so many gluten free and vegetarians, that it becomes impossible. However this year, a friend is doing a few of the sides, which will be a big help. And we're so excited as we'll have our 4 grandchildren here!

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  3. Sunday, I loved reading your post. You have shared a very special memory. Your grand-daughter will love hearing her Thanksgiving story over and over. How exciting to celebrate a first birthday and Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving. Hugs!

    (this may be a duplicate; I am having trouble publishing my comments)

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  4. Your first Thanksgiving with your granddaughter captures the true meaning of the holiday.... gratitude and family. Wishing you and your family the best xo

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  5. Wishing you a lovely Thanksgiving, Sunday.
    xoxo

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  6. Happy Birthday to Scarlett! What a special time of year to have a birthday. Loved your story of last year's Thanksgiving - sometimes a bought meal can turn into the very best! Enjoy this special Thanksgiving with your family :) Miranda xxx http://www.mirandasnotebook.com/

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  7. Thank you for sharing your happy magical Thanksgiving your G/daughter's first,what joy they bring to us.
    Wishing you and your family another magical Happy Thanksgiving.

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  8. Beautiful :) and a great reminder to be adaptable to allow for unexpected miracles

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  9. That's a lovely story, Sunday. Happy Thanksgiving!

    I would dearly love to get this exhibition in LA and some of the lectures/workshops and wondered if you had been? Too far for me, alas.
    http://www.getty.edu/research/exhibitions_events/exhibitions/edible/index.html

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  10. Mary, thank you! I just looked up the exhibition and it sounds fabulous. I will go and let you know how it was. Thanks for bringing it to my attention!

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  11. Sunday...now that beautiful granddaughter is one! We had a wonderful Thanksgiving in Arrowhead with the family and it even snowed. It was so beautiful. I still use a lot of the Thanksgiving recipes from your cooking class of many years ago. Cranberry chutney? Sweet potato souffle? Do you remember?
    HAPPY THANKSGIVING WEEKEND!

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