Thanksgiving, the yearly celebration of all our blessings from the past year with our loved ones and the start of the Holiday Season.
It’s that time of the year to take a hike to America’s Thanksgiving Parade in Downtown Detroit or play better football than the Lions do in our own backyards. Traditions range from just run of the mill dinners to the more outlandish activities.
Through all of the games, families must remember the truth behind Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is always about gathering family and friends around a large dinner table. It is that time to spend with family and recognizing that blessings we have even amongst that chaos in the world around us. Thanksgiving is to remind celebrants of their blessings and how fortunate they are to be alive – using good food.
Some families maintain the tradition of making homemade dishes to remind them of a grandparent that taught the recipe or cutting a butter shaped turkey from youngest to oldest child. There is nothing like homemade noodles, a giant turkey and sweet delicious ham. After dinner, families gather around to scream at the television to watch the Lion’s lose – again. Even though the Lion’s aren’t the best it’s still nice to watch.
Over time, some of these traditions tend to become resilient to the environment as families grow and change or the adding of new ones start. Parents and grandparents are usually the host of a family dinner, but this year it may now fall upon the younger generation to host dinner in their home. This is the perfect time to share the recipes of those who have passed to their survivors.
In recent years, Black Friday is just as much of a part of Thanksgiving as a turkey. Stores are starting their sales earlier and earlier. This is not necessarily a bad thing, as long as you’re going with family. Black Friday Christmas shopping is a great way to transition into the season. For those with extra time, there’s always the opportunity to volunteer at soup kitchens and other events throughout the holiday season.
The people receiving help at soup kitchens are the humblest of us all. They don’t get to go home to see their families the way many Ocelots do – so if there’s time for it, please consider going to your local soup kitchen.
When there’s family, Lion’s football and food all in the same place, it’s definitely a holiday to be thankful for. Whatever the ritual may be, Thanksgiving is a time for reflecting on what and who to be grateful for.
From our family to yours,
Happy Thanksgiving