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Hello everyone! I hope you had a lovely Thursday wherever you are, whether or not it was a holiday for you. :)
Today's Thanksgiving was the last year my aunt will host dinner, which she's done for the past 30 (give or take a few) years. I thought things would get melancholy because of that, but it was a very mellow, pleasant affair all around which was nice. It also highlighted why it's probably a good change of pace for the extended family to make plans that don't boil down to "go to aunt's house" as people arrive later and leave earlier each year--everyone is busy both the day before and the day after the holiday, and travelling by car gets worse every year. (especially in the Metro-Boston area where my aunt lives) The effort involved in having everyone at one place for one day is tipping pretty heavily towards "not worth it" so now is as good a time as any to end the tradition.
In retrospect, I can't really remember anything specific about the past 10 or so Thanksgivings; it's not that I didn't enjoy them, but they were simply...pleasant? The memories I have from my childhood all the way up to college are etched in my mind so clearly it feels as if they happened today, but after that...? And maybe that's why I didn't feel much sadness over a tradition that we've held for as long as I can remember. If the purpose of Thanksgiving is to help us appreciate the bonds we have with our family and friends, this particular way of celebrating has run its course. Things will be different next year, but I'm looking forward to visiting the parts of the family that haven't been able to make it to the "big" Thanksgiving we have in Massachusetts.
I'm glad that in this matter, ending a long-standing family tradition feels like a natural end rather than something that stopped because of loss as is often the case. It it might be a bit strange to say this, but I am thankful that today was calm and uneventful, and left me with warm feelings and excitement for what lies ahead, not anxiety due to the unknown.
Today's Thanksgiving was the last year my aunt will host dinner, which she's done for the past 30 (give or take a few) years. I thought things would get melancholy because of that, but it was a very mellow, pleasant affair all around which was nice. It also highlighted why it's probably a good change of pace for the extended family to make plans that don't boil down to "go to aunt's house" as people arrive later and leave earlier each year--everyone is busy both the day before and the day after the holiday, and travelling by car gets worse every year. (especially in the Metro-Boston area where my aunt lives) The effort involved in having everyone at one place for one day is tipping pretty heavily towards "not worth it" so now is as good a time as any to end the tradition.
In retrospect, I can't really remember anything specific about the past 10 or so Thanksgivings; it's not that I didn't enjoy them, but they were simply...pleasant? The memories I have from my childhood all the way up to college are etched in my mind so clearly it feels as if they happened today, but after that...? And maybe that's why I didn't feel much sadness over a tradition that we've held for as long as I can remember. If the purpose of Thanksgiving is to help us appreciate the bonds we have with our family and friends, this particular way of celebrating has run its course. Things will be different next year, but I'm looking forward to visiting the parts of the family that haven't been able to make it to the "big" Thanksgiving we have in Massachusetts.
I'm glad that in this matter, ending a long-standing family tradition feels like a natural end rather than something that stopped because of loss as is often the case. It it might be a bit strange to say this, but I am thankful that today was calm and uneventful, and left me with warm feelings and excitement for what lies ahead, not anxiety due to the unknown.
