Fade to Gray: Thanksgiving wishes early

Now that Halloween is behind us it is time to put away the fake zombies and plastic pumpkins and focus on what many call their favorite holiday of the year: Thanksgiving.

While I have always been a Christmas kind of guy, I have to admit Thanksgiving is a pretty great idea for a holiday. Bring together family and people you love, to eat and drink and hopefully avoid talking about politics.

Growing up in Troy I have so many fond memories of Thanksgiving dinners with my brothers and sister up on Mann Avenue. Back then the Thanksgiving morning newspaper was always the thickest and heaviest of the year because of all the coupons and store fliers stuffed in their for the black Friday sales. Nowadays people use their smartphones to download the sales and swipe them at the register.

That is if they even leave the house to shop.

One year there was a snowstorm on Thanksgiving morning and the whole family pitched in carrying those heavy bags filled with the Troy Record up and down the hill. It’s funny how adversity can bring you together like that.

I’ve written before about how disappointed I was to see so many stores opening up on Thanksgiving Day to get a jumpstart on the holiday shopping sales. Even the ones that chose to wait until suppertime annoyed me because I know the employees have to be there earlier, which means leaving their families early to go stand in the mall by a rack of sweaters.

People always get annoyed with me when I bring this up saying things like, “Not everyone celebrates Thanksgiving so they should have stores open for them to occupy the day.” I suppose but I still like the idea of the world taking just one day off a year to relax at home.

OK, perhaps two if we count Christmas.

Sometimes there’s a part of me that wishes the world was more like “Little House on the Prairie” or “The Waltons” but I know that’s silly thinking. We can’t go back and most people wouldn’t want to if we could.

Thanksgiving is not without its stress though. Married couples sometimes have to play rock, paper, scissors over which in-laws to visit this year. You get into those, “But we did Easter at your parent’s house earlier this year so we should switch up Thanksgiving.” That’s why it’s easier to just cook your own bird and stay in pajamas all day if you can.

I’ve never in my life gone out to a restaurant on Thanksgiving but I have friends who swear by it. One in particular has gone to the same place for decades because the food is always great and they pack you a doggie bag to take with you. That is one of the best parts of the deal isn’t it?

Going to the fridge at 9 p.m. and taking out the chilly leftovers.

What always strikes me as funny is how delicious we all find turkey on Thanksgiving yet we so rarely cook one any other time of the year. Also odd is how every turkey has a shelf-life of three days and after that you don’t want to look at another turkey sandwich for months.

I find myself proud of the Capital Region every Thanksgiving when I see how many people volunteer their time and money to help the less fortunate. The Equinox dinner in Albany gets the lion’s share of the attention (which it should being the largest) but there are lots of smaller versions of that charity meal playing out in neighborhoods all over. Small soup kitchens, pantries and churches opening their doors and making certain no family goes without.

I’ve had to work many Thanksgivings over the years because of my job in the media. When I was in my 20’s and 30’s (and my parents were still alive) my mom would try to pick a time to serve dinner that allowed all of us to sit at the same time. More often than not we pulled it off, even if for only an hour, which made my mother happy and that was always more important than the stuffing.

Speaking of which, I could write an entire column about how to make stuffing but what would be the point; my grandmother and mom had the best stuffing on the entire planet. I’m sure you’d say the same about your mom’s as well. We love what we grow up with and those traditions of how to make the food are passed down from generations that came before and that’s what makes your family special.

So yeah, you could say I love Thanksgiving. Sadly as we get older there are now empty chairs at the table from those who have passed and children who are grown and off on their own making their own traditions. Still, in the spirit of Charles Ingalls, we gather who we have and raise a glass to those we love.

Since we’re still a few weeks off I won’t wish you a Happy Thanksgiving just yet. I will tell you to buy your bird on sale, don’t forget the cranberry sauce in the can and for the love of Jesus don’t mention impeachment.