Thanksgiving is this week, and I look forward to a whole lot of turkey and a good amount of gravy. Other than making arrangements for my trip home, I haven't really thought about the holiday much this year. The holidays happen every year.
So let's take some time to think about what Thanksgiving is really about. First and foremost, it's about gluttony. I particularly enjoy the buzz that you get from consuming an absurd amount of meat. That same buzz helps to keep everyone slow and amicable during extended family get-togethers.
Turkey has more tryptophan than most meat, which means that it has the ability to slow down even a child. Tryptophan then is a useful chemical during the holidays, to some measure counteracting the effects of soda on children and barely concealed animosity amongst adults. Turkey is basically the philosopher's stone of holiday cuisine.
This isn't to say that gluttony and tension are the only things that the holidays are about. That would be a very clich??d stance to take. Those who gripe about hating their family always seem a bit trite and affected. For me the holidays offer an opportunity to not be as extremely selfish as I usually am. There is a demand to be giving to your family at this time. I don't mean material giving so much as giving attention and care.
On Thanksgiving a lot of people show up that you don't usually see. Taking time to find out their status and plans seems like a good way to give thanks for being alive and well and eating. I really am going to try this year.
All that sharing is what drives a lot of people's holiday tension. Everyone seems to have a relative of a similar age who is doing far better. A lot of people don't have plans at all (like me).
So what do you tell everyone? I'm going to tell them that I have a column, and then they will say many nice things and ask if I'm going to be a reporter or a writer. I will respond by drinking wine, which is the way a lot of people in that situation respond. I'm not talking about getting really drunk, although that certainly can happen during the holidays, but just a little loose, so that I can more easily open up and tell stories instead of speculate about my life's path. That's how people end up bitter.
There is one element of family holidays that I really don't like, and that is the smoking.
I'm betting there is a bit of a black-sheep stigma on everyone who must stand in back and smoke in the cold. All the worst private stuff comes out then, and there is always someone out there with you. I think back when you could smoke everywhere there wasn't this genus of holiday problem. People either smoked or they didn't, and they could still be in the same room. I guess it's better for the kids. I'm going to try to not smoke much this year.
So I guess my plans for this Thanksgiving involve expending effort. I don't want forced effort, but conscious effort, to appreciate all the people in my extended family and learn from them. I will also expend considerable effort eating. I will eat turkey and pie, and I will help to make the gravy. Word bond.
scavenberry@hotmail.com.
