Thanksgiving 2020 was a subdued affair. We didn’t host anyone. A neighbor we had invited couldn’t come over because their child was observing quarantine because of “potential exposure” at school. (The child is fine).
So, the bright point of our family’s thanksgiving celebration was that each of my children made at least one dish. The planned menu was just adjacent to a classic Thanksgiving menu:
Chicken wings with a dry rub
Green bean casserole (with Indian crunch toppings instead of fried onions)
Cornbread
Mashed potatoes
Chocolate chip cookies
Fruit cream
Apple cider
We cooked from about 2 pm to 6 pm. I got to help guide some of the work, especially loading and unloading the oven. The photo above is a collage of all the dishes. Nothing fancy to be sure. But made with love.
And we also had an unexpected facetime call from my sister’s family, as my parents were also having dinner there. Was great to see them all around a table, even if not in the same room. We shall see each other again real soon!
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As the relative tone of this year and holiday is somber, thinking about all those who can’t visit us, here is a poem from poetry foundation that I thought was apropos
Thanksgiving for Two
The adults we call our children will not be arriving
with their children in tow for Thanksgiving.
We must make our feast ourselves,
slice our half-ham, indulge, fill our plates,
potatoes and green beans
carried to our table near the window.
…
Little did we know that first picnic
how this would go. Your hair was thick,
mine long and easy; we climbed a bluff
to look over a storybook plain. We chose
our spot as high as we could, to see
…
What we didn’t see was this day, in
our pajamas if we want to,
wrinkled hands strong, wine
in juice glasses, toasting
whatever’s next,
…
Complete poem can be found at: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/58040/thanksgiving-for-two
Poem copyright ©2014 by Marjorie Saiser, “Thanksgiving for Two,” (2014). Poem reprinted by permission of Marjorie Saiser.