Browns make it sort of interesting, but lose to Steelers, 24-9
November 20, 2016Joe Thomas, Terrelle Pryor open up about O-line’s struggles
November 21, 2016The Browns aren’t worth this space. The Indians are in a quiet period. The Cavaliers don’t play until Wednesday. Thus, here’s a look into my annual Thanksgiving Day tradition.
On Thursday morning, I’ll wake up around 8 a.m. or so, and get on with my day. When it comes to sleeping in, 8 a.m. is usually about where the benchmark is set. When you’re old and washed like me, you take what you can.
I would typically be waking up around 6:15 a.m. to edit a batch of stories before setting my focus on getting out of the house. This Thursday, however, it’s Thanksgiving. I’ll wake up, make some coffee, turn on the parade, and let my couch absorb every pound of my body until something else commands my attention.
At some point, say 11 or 11:30 a.m., I’ll start to get a move on as a shower would be wise. The first kickoff on Thanksgiving is typically around 12:30, so this means everything has to be set much earlier than most Thursdays—fantasy linueps, pick ’em pools, you know the drill. This, my friends, is where the fun begins—and ends. While many others have Thanksgiving traditions which include backyard football or extended travels, there’s snow outside and my parents live roughly 10 minutes from my house.
My family is super small. My mom’s brother lives in Georgia (the state) with my aunt. They do not have any children. My dad’s side includes a couple of uncles, one of whom spends the holiday with his son. The other uncle has two children, one of whom is in North Carolina. My aunt does not have any children. To save you all from doing the math, this means my sisters and I will have exactly one cousin at Thanksgiving dinner. If we’re talking about a family tree, mine may look a lot like the one Charlie Brown decorates for Christmas.
The good news is, for all my lack of cousins, my one uncle and my aunt are both in my pick ’em pool so we get to all yell at the television based on what the given game’s point spread may be. (We also get to make fun of my cousin who, during Week 11, had one correct pick heading into the 4 p.m. slate—something that’s very, very tough to do.)
The day will revolve around football and furniture until roughly 4:30 p.m. when my mother summons us all to the dining room for Thanksgiving dinner. It’s your standard array of turkey, mashed, stuffing and the like. It’s always done perfectly, even if served 30 or so minutes after the original goal. We will all inhale our respective meals, drink some wine, and reminisce about meals past and those who are no longer with us. Then comes the pumpkin pie and coffee and then it’s back to the family room for football, a fire, and a few Christmas Ales.
After a few laughs and a few more Christmas Ales, my aunts and uncles will begin to pack up. It’s a Thursday night after all. My mom and sisters will start to compile their “lists” for their impending Black Friday adventures while I stare and shake my head in amazement. They’ll tell me about all the “deals” they got last year and those they’re aiming to score in the coming hours. I’ll tell them how I’m going to enjoy the night’s rest more than anything they could ever buy.
On Friday, we’ll head back to my parents’ place at some point, with the universal goal of devouring all of the leftovers so that 1) we don’t have to cook, and 2) my mom can have her refrigerator back. I’ll be sure to brag about how I put up Christmas lights on the Wednesday prior when it was 70 degrees, poking fun at my dad for not doing the same. He’ll then remind me that he couldn’t put up Christmas lights as he was enjoying a seven-day cruise while I was busy working. Check. Mate.
10 Comments
Going to Watertown, Massachusetts. Being bored and miserable, waiting for my mother-in-law to make my wife and her sister cry. Wishing the whole time we could have stayed in NYC and had Thanksgiving with friends. Being especially thankful that Christmas in Ohio is always pleasant.
Thanksgiving Day is always wonderful, but the day after is pretty good too. It’s one of the few days all year when I don’t have to go anywhere or do anything. So I grab me some couch, some turkey sandwiches, and a thirst-quencher or two and watch football all afternoon. Sweet Friday!
The lady-pilgrim is totally out of the dude-pilgrim’s league. Way to go dude-pilgrim!
Used to participate in a turkey bowl first thing in the morning, but after a series of injuries to the participants (getting older?) and a torn meniscus in my last game, I have moved on. Now, I make the turkey, and my family of 5 brothers and their kids as well as my 4 sons and their spouses get together. The main thing is to avoid politics, since we are a family of very strong opinions – spoken at full volume – and polar opposite political views. I try to shift the focus to gratitude since this is what this day is actually about. The fact that we have each other, a roof over our heads, and the freedom this country provides is ample reason to have a heart of gratitude. My wife and I have been to Haiti a number of times to serve there as well as other third world countries, and we are incredibly rich by comparison.
Sister perhaps?
I usually toss the politics-grenade then retreat to the basement.
Probably UM fans too…
During grace I always express gratitude to our ancestors, who left everything behind, bravely ventured into the unknown, and came to this country and gave us one of the greatest gifts of all, the opportunity to live in America.
Favorite holiday. The whole brood plus the in laws from NC coming in for the weekend. Big bird and ham plus all the good stuff. Can’t wait.
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