Thanksgiving Traditions Fading

Lots of changes in Thanksgiving are looming ahead. It was always one of my favorite childhood holidays. I loved it even as an adult. In recent years, mom and dad have passed away and so have the massive number of pumpkin pies. Dad always made sure he and Beth made a pie for each person! My parents always put out the "fancy china" on this day. It was a day of over-indulgence of food and then TV or games. The house smelled of roasting turkey when we awoke as Dad had put the turkey on at 5 in the morning. As some of us got married and had other families to include, we worked a system of all the Bertsches together for Thanksgiving and then not Christmas. The next year we would trade off and all meet for Christmas and not Thanksgiving. The system worked well for a couple of decades.

In recent years we would run in the Father Joe Carroll's Turkey Trot 5K to raise money for the homeless. It was a great way to start off the morning before all that food! It has become a tradition here in SD for us to participate in.

Black Friday has been HUGE in my family since I was a teenager. We would be at the mall when it opened at 6 a.m. and shop until noon then head home. All of the nieces have been inducted into the shopping foray and we even got Patience to join the fun. One thanksgiving we were in Chicago and she and I and her Mom and Dan's sister Beverly shopped at their freezing outdoor mall! I don't remember missing until last year.

Now that our children are married and have other families to include it seems rather hit and miss if we will be together. This is also a tough year because it is at Thanksgiving that Dan's dad, Bud, went into the hospital and died a few days later.

So this year will be really different. No Bertsch family, no Jay and Heidi, no Brian and Patience. No Turkey fixings at Bayside Lane. No Turkey Trot, No Black Friday shopping. We plan to meet up with Dan's mom and her husband, Ron, and the step-siblings. Seven in all. Not exactly the big hoopla I am used to. We are going to eat at Mimi's...

I am sad to see my childhood traditions melt away. Perhaps one day the house will be full of grand babies and new traditions will be formed by our kids. My parents love for tradition sure made my childhood extra special!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!