I love this time of year. First there is Halloween with all of the decorations, silly gimmicks from retailers, and then trick or treating. Granted, I live way out and get zero doorbell rings (which is okay with me), but every so often I decorate with an 8-foot skeleton and lights. But a keypad gate means I would rather have tricks than give out treats. Not that I am a Halloween Grinch, just I don’t really attract little rascals.
Then, on the heels of Halloween, comes Thanksgiving. Even though some retailers decide to gang rush the holiday season by putting Christmas lights right next to Halloween decorating items with the occasional cornucopia and wreath thrown in between to satisfy their consciousness.
But that is on the retail, business side and only serves to give me a constant reminder of the season, all leading to the “Black Friday” slashed price sales where people gather at an unreal early hour and literally fight for items. There are very few things I wake at 4 a.m. to do, like catch a plane or go wait for a grandbaby to be born or watch a child of mine be born (30 years ago!) But lining up to storm a store’s doors I can say I have never done. Ain’t nothing comes to mind other than the two things above gonna shake me outta the rack at that ridiculous hour. I think my sweet wife did it once, but that was the only time she did, and I listened to the stories for 45 minutes which reinforced my position and ended in her adopting the same position. The discounts on the internet and growth of eBay and Amazon further cemented our position. Selling one television for $1 just isn’t worth fighting hundreds of people for.
Enough of what is bad about the season, all perpetrated by big box retailers and greedy consumers all fueled by those who wake at 4 a.m.
Here is why I love this time of year. Back to my childhood, family members gathered at “Mom-N-Ems” while the glorious smell of a turkey in the oven wafted through the house. Cousins and siblings dared only to pass through the kitchen to go out the back screen door to play football, fling a frisbee, or simply lounge in one of the many folding aluminum chairs with frayed woven fabric. The grown-ups would be watching football in the living room, each anxiously awaiting the coming feast.
A moment signaling progress was when dad was hailed from his recliner to carve the turkey. Earlier in the day, Mom would quietly slip us kids either a turkey neck or a gizzard as an appetizer from what I later knew to be the “Giblet” packet. The rest of the packet went into the giblet gravy. We didn’t stuff the turkey, so dressing cooked soft was separate.
Then the moment came. When everything was cooked or warmed, the “brown and serve” rolls were pulled from the oven. The children’s table had been set up in the living room if cold, or outside if warm. The leaf had been inserted in the kitchen table. We had a bench from Grandma Skinner’s house, which in the earlier days was an Ironing board across two chairs. Then Dad would ask the blessing for the food in a most auspicious way which symbolized the solemnity behind the occasion. And boy, Dad was good at praying you into the moment!
Then after the resounding “amen,” Dad, who was raised during the Depression, would announce “Take all you want, but eat all you take.” It was a simple phrase I am sure he had heard in his childhood, but it discouraged waste yet allowed gluttony. I don’t think I ever saw a plate thrown away with food on it.
As a child, play came after the scrumptious meal. The adults approached horizontal positions on couches and hassocks as the tryptophan kicked in and it mattered to none what game was on.
Just a glorious day filled with shameless gluttony, interacting with cousins in play, and enjoying a day absent of worry, devoid of stress, and complete relaxation.
Later in the day, turkey sandwiches and warmed over leftovers were seemingly as delicious as the noon meal.
This was well before we were told the pilgrims were evil and the Indians were victims.
I liked the old days of innocence back then before a faction told me how colonization is from Satan and Indigenous people were abused with White Europeans being the oppressors. Factions in this country these days try like heck to pit one group against another or others. Kinda getting old, honestly. Christopher Columbus was a hero now turned monster. What is wrong with these people? Nevermind!
They were simpler times 60 years ago. People knew how to enjoy prosperity and didn’t feel guilt about it cause they worked like dawgs scrapping and clawing for it. Folks didn’t show up for free turkeys in late model BMWs and Mercedes. Neighbors knew who needed help and took care of them, but there was no “system,” and no one was gaming it. Kudos to James Brown and what he does with the turkey giveaway, but for goodness sake are there as many people on the doorstep of starvation as I see on the news lining up for free turkeys as if a turkey is the very thing between starving and surviving. We got so many organizations giving out food, it’s ridiculous, and I am certain the flock cameras could pick up the duplicating tag numbers.
Pardon my digression to negativity, but it is starting to tick me off. Watch the news, and you would think 95% of Americans are at the brink of death from lack of nutrition. Food deserts when the city of Augusta (translates to taxpayers) pays for buses to drive them anywhere they want to go on nine different routes just looks to me like many are standing in the bread line with their hands out, when EBT or SNAP or some other program, public or private, is helping meet their needs.
Pardon that rant, but I see it this way, and the local press is salivating at the opportunity to cover. Just look in the background of the newscasts. I dare you to show me a starving citizen.
My prayer for your Thanksgiving is it is full of pleasant experiences and creates beautiful memories. Don’t listen to the naysayers. Enjoy a day to give thanks to almighty God for the many blessings He has bestowed on our great county.
Thank God for blessing America.
Doug Lively is a lifelong Augustan and local columnist for the Augusta Press. He previously served as a member of the Augusta Aviation Commission.
