This will be the first Thanksgiving since I was in College that I'll have the entire week off and I'm really looking forward to Thanksgiving Day this year. I guess I always do. What guy doesn't?
It seems a bit of a paradox that a day set aside for giving thanks can be loved for such selfish reasons. I have much to be thankful for, but for this blog I am choosing to focus on the wonderful self-indulgent pleasures of the fourth Thursday in November.
5. Seizing the Day
Thanksgiving just feels like a holiday the whole livelong day. If you don't have to travel then it's especially enjoyable. Old Mr. Nickels enjoys the fact that he has finally reached the age where on Thanksgiving people come to him. One of the few benefits of old age.
Getting up early and getting that first cup of coffee is one of the best feelings. I put on my comfy green robe and then I walk out into the crisp morning air to get my copy The Indianapolis Star.
The cold air wakes me up. I walk back inside and turn on the gas fireplace. I sit down and find the Sports page. Then I cuss for about 5 minutes because I have to get back up to find my reading glasses.
Once they're found I return to my chair and see what time the football games begin and exactly who will be playing against the Lions and the Cowboys.
4. The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
As a child, I would watch the entire thing from beginning to end. We all did because we couldn't wait to see "you-know-who" in the caboose/sleigh--wink! wink! Mom would be in the kitchen, where she had been since 4:00 am working to create her perennial perfect feast. Never wanting Mom to feel left out, we would update/annoy her constantly with bellows from the living room.
-"Mom, they're singing that song from Oliver that you're always humming!" --My mom has always loved show tunes.
-"Hey, Mom! There's that guy from your soap opera."
-"Cool! Look, Mom! It's Underdog!"
-"IT'S HIM! IT'S HIM! Hurry Mom! Come here! " (We couldn't let her miss the arrival of 'The Big Guy').
Mom would usually stop what she was doing and drag her baking powder and cooking flour covered carcass into the room and glance at the TV for 30 seconds. Her hair was usually mussed and her apron was stained and faded. Sometimes she would be holding that giant "eye-dropper" looking thing she used to baste the turkey or she would have a giant bowl of potatoes that she was mashing. Always, Mom would acknowledge our requests and momentarily praise our astute parade commentary. She would then go back to work. We let her because we knew that she was working on a masterpiece.
Now, I look at the parade for no more than 25 or 30 minutes. Which is good for about two balloons, a couple of marching bands, maybe one show tune, and two or three minutes of cheesy celebrity banter--just enough to make me reconsider purchasing a firearm. I still like to catch a glimpse of 'the man-in-the-red suit,' but I usually mutter to myself, "Well, he's no Edmund Gwenn."
3. The Meal Itself
Is it just me or did the meal get shorter? As a kid, you whined and tried to steal bites while waiting for the signal to 'sit down & dig in.' This "meal rapidity" seemed to have happened somewhere between the ages of 25 & 45. It's a bit of a mystery. Perhaps it's because over the last 10 years I've deep fried the bird and I've also made many honest attempts to carve said bird--a skill I've still not mastered. I wish I had a quarter for all the YouTube videos I've watched on the subject. Fortunately, my carving efforts still yield the first turkey bites to me, so who cares?
Maybe the brevity of the meal has something to do with the fact that I grew up in a time when a child was required to excuse himself or herself from the table. My cousins and I would sit at our card table and debate the proper length of seat time to appease the adults' draconian rules of etiquette. These rules seemed to vary from house to house.
2. Leftovers
Shopping for Thanksgiving always includes purchasing items that will prolong the feast. These may include, but are not limited to:
-Whipped Cream (canned or tub is a debate for another time)
-Rye bread (Dark pumpernickel or Beefsteak brand will do)
-Swiss Cheese
-Lettuce
-Pepperoncini rings
-Durkee's Famous Sandwich & Salad Sauce
These essential items all serve to enhance that 11:00 pm craving for a Turkey sandwich. A turkey sandwich followed by a slice of pecan or pumpkin pie is one of life's greatest pleasures. Yes, the chances are good that one of my plates will see both types of pie and it may well be at the same time.
1. Football (previously mentioned, but always worth repeating)
Thanksgiving is the only day of the year that I will watch 75% or more of a Lion's game. I have so many great memories of watching these games with the Clarks. For me, football was how I learned to converse with men when there just isn't that much to talk about. This year, like most years, I'm hopeful that "America's Team" will lose--it doesn't matter to whom.
The Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving are set aside for the big rivalry games in college football. Michigan/Ohio State, Alabama/Auburn, and Indiana/Purdue (yes, this one has lost some luster) just to name a few. I must digress just a moment. The fact that the Aggies & the Longhorns no longer play one another just seems terribly wrong. Don't you think?
A whole day set aside for TV, feasting and football is a beautiful thing.
Once again, I appreciate you taking the time to stop by and reading to the end. One last question & please pardon a blunt Irishmen, but exactly where are we drinking Wednesday night?
Don't forget the Durkee's.
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