My ghosts of Thanksgiving Past and Present EssayHolidays have always been important in my life.
I can remember every Christmas and Thanksgiving since I was real young. Each memory holds a special place in my heart as well as every one in the future also. Thanksgiving has also been my favorite holiday since I love to eat and somehow it always brought my family together. It wasnt until recently my holidays changed forever.
I was raised in family that felt that holidays were meant to be special and spent with the ones you love. When I was a little girl my thanksgiving day would start bright and early. Id wake up to hear the sound of my Dad putting the turkey in the oven. He almost acted like an alarm clock because I would be up following around my dad.
After preparing the turkey wed make cappuccino and watch the parades on TV. Later on, everyone else would get up and wed finish the rest of the dinner preparations. Every Holiday I would be in the Kitchen trying to attempt to help but I always just did a good job of getting in the way. After being scolded I would retire to my room and pout until my other family and cousins would arrive.
I have three younger boy cousins and when we got together all we could do right was raise hell. It was always a sight to see all the stress we put on everyone else, especially my Grandmother. My Grandmother, whom we affectionately call MeMa, was always the life of the party. She was always the best at driving everyone nuts.
You really have to know her to understand but she was about two bricks shy of a full load. She is your classic small town gossip, Oprah watching, hypochondriac. One lesson I have learned through out my life is that you never ask MeMa How are you’she would go on for hours about her asthma or arthritis it was actually quite entertaining. Im glad that shes still around today because my holiday would never be the same without her in it.
A Holiday just wouldnt be one if my older brother and I didnt get in a fight. We hated each other when we were young and couldnt ever speak a cordial word to each other. I remember one specific Thanksgiving when we argued over watching Football or Charlie Brown Christmas. It was a mess, there was hair and spit flying everywhere. The actual meal was like watching a boxing fight. My Grandma would always start the fights with a nonsense rude comment and get my Aunt and Mother all riled up for a fight.
As I got older and my brother reached his Im a teen and I know everything stage wed always get blessed with some intelligent knowledge from him. The food wouldnt start flying until my family would get into a big religion argument. My Uncle, whom is hardcore Christian; my Grandma, whom is just crazy and likes a fight, would always get into it with my Father who is Atheist. They would go on for HOURS! The conversation would immediately be silenced by my Grandfather (Pa Pa).
Now my Pa Pa doesnt say much, he really doesnt get the chance, being around my Grandma and all. He would simply stand up from the table and say, yall hush now, Im tired of hearin bout it. It was amazing how such a little man had some much power in my family. The best part of the day was after dinner when my Uncle would get out his banjo, my father his guitar, and My Papa would play his string base. We would all gather around with our pumpkin pie and sing Christmas songs and other classics.
They all sang so well and it was amazing how my whole family would just come together, put aside differences, and become one voice. Now that you have a taste of my thanksgiving background and I can now fast forward to present day thanksgiving holidays. Within the past two years I have gained a person at my thanksgiving table but lost people also. Thanksgiving 1999 was spent at my .
