Thanksgiving
has always been one of my favorite Holidays. As a child I remember the hustle
and bustle of my parents and of my uncle and aunt in preparation for the day.
The feast of turkey and the numerous side dishes were a gluttons delight.
Memories of those joyous occasions will remain with me forever. Eventually my
siblings and I married and moved out of Southie to the surrounding suburbs. My
sister went further into the State of Maine. We all tried to stay in touch but
with growing children and our responsibilities as adults- that wasn’t easy.
However, there was one day when we all
returned as a family to our parents’ home and that of course was Thanksgiving.
Our parents continued with the preparations of the meal until they no longer do
so physically. But that wasn’t a deterrent. The slack was taken up by everyone
and we continued the tradition. I recall when the number of us grew so large
that we had tables set up from the front of the house to the back. Adults sat
in the more formal dining room and the children at extension tables.
Eventually
our parents passed and the annual trek to Southie ended. We started our own traditions with our own
grandchildren. The memories of our annual gatherings in Southie at Thanksgiving
have always had a special place in my heart and that is why I consider it one
of my favorite holidays.
