Holiday Season 2021 is upon us and we will be celebrating many traditions and festivities over the next five weeks. Of the holidays that I celebrate during this time of the year, I have a favorite, Thanksgiving.
For me, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because of the relationship that I have had with it throughout my adult life. We have shared a non-traditional holiday for more than 40 years. I have been open to experiencing Thanksgiving however it needed to be experienced each year.
In some ways, I developed my non-traditional relationship with Thanksgiving out of a desire to have a traditional experience. For some people that might have been their experience with Christmas.
Christmas had always been the holiday of family traditions for me growing up in the 60s. That all changed for me and my family when my dad moved out on Christmas day in 1969.
MOM put a lot of attention into making Christmas the best it could be for my sisters and me after that traumatic holiday. It helped me a lot that she did that given we left the day after Christmas for many years after the divorce to visit my dad.
Thanksgiving seemed like a good candidate for becoming my favorite holiday as an adult because it did not have any of the painful memories like Christmas. It felt like a blank canvas with unlimited ways in which I could experience my traditions.
When I reflect on the Thanksgivings I have experienced over the past 40 years, I can find hints at traditions here and there.
I am appreciative of the times that I was invited to my siblings’ Thanksgiving that included having MOM with us. There was a special feeling I had when I was with my family that was often replicated when I was my friends or my family of choice.
I am grateful for the many friends who have invited me into their homes for Thanksgiving day dinner, and more specifically for their invitation to be a part of their family for that one day. The sense of belonging that they shared with me filled my heart.
I am thankful for the restaurants and their staff that were open on Thanksgiving day that allowed me to enjoy a traditional dinner alongside strangers who were modeling a family tradition.
By far, my favorite part of my non-traditional relationship with Thanksgiving came the year I realized that I did not need to be at home for it waiting for an invitation or hosting the dinner. I felt a freedom like never before when it came to choosing how to celebrate a holiday.
The Thanksgiving tradition that lasted the longest over my adult life was going to London for the long holiday weekend.
When I combined my passion for travel with my frugality with my vacation days, a tradition was born that I embraced and went on to experience for many many years.
As with any holiday tradition, I looked forward to that time each year when I would board a flight on Wednesday evening and wake up on Thanksgiving morning in London. It had all of the makings of a tradition with the excitement and happiness that comes with its experiences.
The things that I did while in London over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend had nothing to do with turkey and the trimmings. It was not until I had made many of these trips to the UK did I find a pub that offered a full American Turkey dinner. The things that I did each year whilst in London over the holiday weekend included going to the theater in the West End, shopping at Marks & Spencer, walking through the markets like Covent Garden and Camden Market, going into Harrods, eating in neighborhood pubs, and riding the tube and in the taxis.
For four days each Thanksgiving holiday weekend, I was in my happy place living my non-traditional relationship with a place far from the typical traditions. I could write another article or a whole book just on those Thanksgiving experiences.
What all of my Thanksgiving non-traditional traditions have in common is my overwhelming sense of gratitude. I am so very thankful for every experience that I had have over these many Thanksgivings and for the lessons I have learned as a result of being open to following my nudges.
Thanksgiving is an annual holiday that’s values and principles have been embedded into my way of life. I get to express gratitude for everyone, everything, and every experience every day.
How might you define your relationship with Thanksgiving?
What is the role of gratitude in your life?
Have you chosen a favorite holiday from this time of the year?
With much gratitude…
—
This post is republished on Medium.
—
