Hi Globetrotters,
Happy belated Thanksgiving! A perfect day commemorating all the things we have in our life. In my family, we don’t celebrate any holidays- or birthdays. We treat that day as any other day. Here are three main reasons why we do not celebrate this Holiday:
- It’s too much to cook a giant meal.
- My family does not like gluttony.
- We should be thankful every day.
I personally like present-day Thanksgiving (not the genocide history though). Yes, we should be thankful every day, but sometimes we lose sight of that because we become consumed with our obligations. To have an annual reminder is great. Also, I never grew up surrounded by extended family. I love the thought of having a second-removed cousin’s son’s wife come over, and she is relaxing in a little congested home.
Luckily, Mr. Lumberjack’s family likes hosting parties, so when I started dating him, I began splitting my Thanksgiving weekend between my home and his. His mom is a social butterfly, so all the tios, tias and primos make a pit stop to her house. It’s an open door policy there. Last year, I went a little crazy and made a bunch of dishes to bring over Mr. Lumberjack’s family home. Complete success!
This year, I visited Mr. Lumberjack’s family, and then I boarded a plane to visit my sister. Family is very important. I had FOMO to be with my future family, but in return, I get to be with my day-one family. I don’t have any set, annual destinations or traditions, which I find is my best way to live life.
Traditions can turn into HAVE-TO-DOs, and there is a thin line between having fun and feeling stress. I don’t want to celebrate, feeling like I need to check off items off my list. Therefore, I try to focus on what the essence of the day is, and with most holidays, it’s about family and friends. Be present (my 2019 resolution) and share in those happy moments.
While I grew up with rarely any festivities, I adopt them full-heartedly. This includes Mr. Lumberjack’s loud, boisterous family and my demure, thoughtful family. Because regardless of with whom, I eat up every minute with my loved ones. I’ll leave you with my favorite grateful quote:
“Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has plenty; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.” (Charles Dickens)
Ciao,
Amy
amy 