Thoughts on Thanksgiving and Community
I used to dread the holidays. Sometimes I still do. I grew up in a NY Italian family that celebrated every holiday together. Then I got married and moved away and holidays weren’t something I looked forward to anymore.
At first it was me and hubby. I tried doing the festive thing for Thanksgiving and Christmas and kept some of the traditions and even dressed up at times. Then kids came a long and I bought those cute suits for the kids, several years in a row, but realized we’d always be dressed up with no place to go.
Some years we went to see family, but when the kids got older and our family grew it was much easier to stay home. Soon the holidays came and went, and we barely made it out of our pajamas. Often it became just another day and each year I’d grieve inside. I’d grieve not having family around, but most of all I grieved the fact that even though I belonged to a church and a Christian community, no one, I mean no one except for two Easters, invited us over for the holidays and many knew we had no family in town.
Many years we invited others over with us (one year we had a dozen college students) and those were the best times, but deep inside I still grieved the lack of community, of true family and fellowship. The last couple of years since my family moved to town we’ve had small intimate holidays with friends joining us as well. This year it will just be our family and my mom who’s living with us.
Still, I wish we could share the holiday with someone. Maybe someone who once felt like us, though we’re not sure who that person or family might be. I’d happily clean off my dining room table (which is covered in Christmas decor at the moment) and make room for them.
Here are some past thoughts about community and holidays:
Finding Community: Is God Enough?
Ho Hum Holidays 2006
