Turkey Day
Ahh. Thanksgiving. When it comes to relaxing, eating good food, and watching football, there is no better holiday. While most people enjoy Thanksgiving for the obvious reasons, I find the silver lining in Turkey Day that is so much more pleasurable. In my opinion there is no better holiday than Thanksgiving because it is the best time to spend time with pretentious family members. Am I twisted for thinking that holidays are obligations to see family, whereas as most people think of them as opportunities to see relatives? Or am I just one of the few that will actually admit that spending time with family is more dreadful than it is comforting?
My immediate family went to Washington DC for Thanksgiving. I stayed behind because of the amount of work I needed do for school. I will say that I am very close to my siblings and to my mother and father, and I was disappointed to see them leave. For these purposes, when I refer to seeing family, I mean seeing the aunts, the uncles, the annoying cousins, and the wild in-laws that we all have grown to love, or, learned to love to hate. For some reason, however, Thanksgiving allows all of the unspoken, spiteful relationships between family members to become speciously ignored, and perhaps that is why I love Thanksgiving.
Since I would not be spending Thanksgiving with my immediate family, my mother suggested that I go to my grandmother’s house for Thanksgiving dinner. Although she “suggested” that I make the 45-minute trip, it was tacitly implied that I more or less had to go. So when I arrived at my grandmother’s house on Thursday evening, I was not surprised to see my pompous aunts and uncles, my spoiled rotten cousin and my irritatingly, long-winded brother-in-law. It was evident as soon as I walked through the door that everyone had on their holiday cheer facades. Typically I would have been welcomed with shady glances, conspicuous whispers, and a few casual hellos, whereas on Thursday I received immediate hugs, smiles, and seemingly warm greetings. I find it rather amusing to observe how family members hide their true character when the holidays roll around. There again, it seems as if its an obligation to act kindly towards others, rather than an expression of genuine care.
I could go into detail about my family members, but that would be downright superfluous. Point is, when the richest people in my family proclaim that they are thankful just for food to be on the table, something is wrong. Now I know the economy is bad, but a thanksgiving meal is like Ramen Noodles to them; they eat out at a nice restaurant at least four times a week. So for those in the family who are very grateful to have a hearty meal, it is kind of despicable to hear others say that. As for me, I thought the meal was delicious, but watching family members—so caught up in their own lives that they have no idea what goes on with family—act as if they are ideal relatives was much more tasteful.
