I’m sitting here trying to proofread chapters from the second edition of my biological psychology text, while the fragrance from Mr. F’s turgoosen (a turkey stuffed with goose and chicken meat) wafts into my office. So I thought I’d take a few minutes off to wish all of you a very happy Thanksgiving.
Happy Thanksgiving from the Frebergs!
I like holidays, and all of them seem to have their unique charm. Thanksgiving seems the least spoilt–not a lot of gaudy decorations or glitz in the stores. It just gives us a chance to sit back and consider our blessings–family, friends, a roof over our heads, a great dinner in the making.
This year, our holidays are bittersweet, as both my mother and brother passed away since our last holiday season. We’ll definitely hold them in our thoughts as we celebrate. In a way, we learn from these losses, too. When I’m feeling stressed about deadlines, hackers, and so on, I often sit back and think, “Leroy would have loved to have my day,” and any urge to complain fades rapidly. Life is good. For those who don’t feel they have much to be thankful for, perhaps we should listen to William James: “To change one’s life: Start immediately. Do it flamboyantly.”
8 Comments
megrust · November 29, 2008 at 12:08 pm
I like the timing of this post. It does seem like the holidays lose their meaning sometimes and Thanksgiving is one of the only ones that doesn’t have the distractions of expensive gifts, candy, etc. Especially since the economy has hit what it has, my family decided we should just stick to the basics this Christmas and forget about presents. In the past I probably would have sulked about not getting to have presents but at this point I realized the presents are only a small aspect of the holiday. I only get to go home once during the school year and by the time I finally get home, I’m not thinking about the presents and the material, I’m thinking about how I’m going to be able to squeeze in enough time to catch up with everyone at home. I think the holidays should be more about getting a break from reality to spend with the people you don’t always get to truly spend time with.
ajacopet · November 30, 2008 at 9:45 pm
I agree that Thanksgiving isn’t masked by all the gifts, sweets, and decorations, as Christmas can be. I think it is based more solely on giving thanks to those you are thankful for. My family and I are too passing on Christmas presents and treating ourselves to a family bonding vacation to Hawaii. The only white Christmas I’ll be seeing is the white sandy beaches with my family :]
kfriedma · December 2, 2008 at 1:02 am
It sounds corny, but there truly are so many great things to be thankful for.. simply the chance to attend college, and then the opportunity to visit family back at home is reason to be thankful enough! We should not forget things we are thankful for after Thanksgiving has passed, but instead carry those thoughts into the entire Winter season and beyond. Having a thankful and happy outlook on the holidays makes it more cheerful for everyone, including ourselves!
nikkinate · December 2, 2008 at 3:27 pm
First off, let me say that a turgoosen sounds absoultely amazing! That is a very interesting combination I have never heard of! I definitely agree with you about the true meaning of Thanksiving! I’m from Yorba Linda and we recently experienced the horrible wildfires in Orange County, and this year it really hit home, how much I take for granted! I had never felt to thankful and blessed to have a roof over my head and food on the table, it really made me think!
cgieseke · December 4, 2008 at 4:15 pm
One time my family got a Turducken, which is appartently a trukey, a duck, and a chicken all in one. It was probably the best thing I have ever eaten on Thanksgiving. I mean if John Madden eats it, and he is a fellow Cal Poly Alumni, then I approve of it. But seriously, I love being around so much family with too much food to even think about eating. So Happy Holidays.
joshpollitz · December 5, 2008 at 12:47 pm
For my family, thanksgiving is probably the most important holiday. It is said, my uncle passed last year and he was always the one to orchestrate it, so this year we made it a commemoration and it was something very special to us.
jessberry · December 5, 2008 at 2:20 pm
It is very important, especially during this time of year with the holidays and finals coming up, that we appreciate the opportunities we are blessed with. My roommates and I were sitting in our kitchen last night having our tea party (we started this so we could have study breaks) and at first we were all a little crabby but then we got to thinking. Why would we complain about studying so much? This is our choice and it is absolutely amazing to be able to go to a good university and learn new things everyday. So for the next week instead of thinking how much I don’t want to study, I am going to think of it as how lucky I am that I have the ability, materials and opportunity to study and expand my knowledge. Learning is one of the coolest privileges we have.
kesmith · December 5, 2008 at 5:30 pm
I am so sorry to hear about your losses. I too just recently lost my mom. The holiday season has been difficult. Since Mom was a full time mom, I have been used to her being home during all my breaks. I know it will be hard to be at home alone while Dad is at work. I think it is wonderful that the holiday season begins with Thanksgiving, because Thanksgiving gives me a chance to sit back and think about how blessed I am. Mom was a wonderful parent and her love will be part of my life forever. Also, I am grateful to have such a wonderful dad. I know that no matter what, he will always be there to support me.
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