Setting the Thanksgiving Table
November 20, 2023
Writer: Claudia Hurst
Editor: Leighton Gray
Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays. I look forward to helping my mom make her famous Thanksgiving Jell-O, sitting at “The Cousins Table” while everyone shares what they are thankful for this year, congregating with my entire family in the living room as soon as the clock strikes 3:30 P.M. to watch the Cowboys game and enjoying a touch football game of our own in the backyard during half-time. Most of all, I look forward to ending the holiday with a performance of the “Thanksgiving Play,” a production that is written, produced, and performed by my cousins and me throughout the day.
I think my love for this holiday is rooted in my appreciation for tradition. While many things in my life would change throughout the year, I could expect that the third Thursday in November would be spent practicing each of these meaningful familial customs.
I know the place settings will be beautifully set with my grandmother’s fine china and flower centerpieces. I expect my cousin to feed his dog turkey under the table to convince his dad that he was ready for another slice of pie. I anticipate the argument between me and my sister when she realizes I have more speaking parts in the play. I await the time when my uncle would bring out a fancy bottle that was far too sophisticated to pair with our homemade stuffing and mashed potatoes. I know I could always find my grandfather fast asleep on the couch after the meal.
Although I expect each of these moments every year, as I have grown older, some of these moments have become memories of the past. Others have simply evolved over time.
The place settings have transitioned to disposable plates and paper placemats to create more ease with cleaning up. Homemade cooking has become a catered meal. “The Cousins Table” morphed into a larger table with our parents. After many injuries and arguments, the touch football game and “Thanksgiving Play” were retired from the list of planned activities. And most notably, some of the individuals that were around the same table every year are no longer present.
I used to believe that Thanksgiving was my favorite holiday because it housed these special moments I only experienced on that day every year. Although these long-standing traditions have changed with time, Thanksgiving remains my favorite holiday.
Perhaps my appreciation for the day will always be connected to the memories I associate with the holiday: the excitement of catching the winning touchdown in our football game or the thrill (and eventual stomach ache) of filling half of my plate with my mom’s Jell-O.
Or, perhaps I am now able to recognize that the most important tradition was not the events that took place, but being surrounded by my family and creating memories. Although the customs may appear in different forms of their past selves, I look forward to sharing them with the people I love most.
And for that, I am immensely grateful.
