A Thanks to Thanksgiving

I am dying. Not literally. But it would be nice if this week could just end so I could make my hour-long highway drive home for Thanksgiving break. I love everything about Thanksgiving in my household. 

I love waking up to the waft of onion and garlic that slips through the crevices of my bedroom door. As I float downstairs, I am greeted by my mom and dad in the kitchen, gracefully moving from stovetop to refrigerator to kitchen table. They move like clockwork—my dad is preparing the Turkey and the ingredients for his famous pumpkin soup, and my mom is briskly skinning sweet potatoes, in attempts to perfectly duplicate my grandmother’s mouthwatering candied yams. I drift over to the couch to watch three hours of Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade—I eat up every minute of it, as if it’s as scrumptious as the gigantic meal my parents plan to serve later that evening.

Then the family arrives. On Thanksgiving, my mom gets the pleasure of having all of her kids (and their families) over for dinner—my two oldest half-brothers and their five kids, my closest brother, Adam, his fiancé, and their dog Toby. My sister-in-law’s mom and husband also join us for dinner.  It’s pretty chaotic. And wonderful.

Guaranteed by dessert, my nieces and nephews have made their way down to the basement to scavenge for toys or into our backroom to try to find and torture our cats. Others are spread throughout the house, debating over which team will win the football game on TV, drinking beer and chatting at the kitchen table. By this time, Adam and I have already debated over whether it was mom or dad who salted the potatoes—mom never adds enough. Dad is licking the gravy off the rim of his plate and sucking the turkey bones to the marrow, like any real Italian would (or maybe it’s just him). 

The night isn't full complete, however, until someone has mentioned my swift samurai skills in attacking the dessert table. It is a gift. The night ends when everyone leaves, and I am lulled into a food coma, falling asleep to pre-Christmas TV specials. Ahh, yes. Thank you Thanksgiving, for bringing all the quirks of my family together in the same room for one evening. And hurry up and get here!