I don’t know about you all, but November is flying by for me. I can’t believe that Thanksgiving is in nine days. I just put away my Halloween decorations and now I’m thinking about getting out my Christmas decor. I typically wait until post-Thanksgiving, but since we are still in 2020, I think it’s fair to say that there aren’t any rules anymore. It’s been a hot mess of a year, so I’ll take some extra holiday cheer.
November, and Thanksgiving in particular, serve to remind us all of what we have to be grateful for in our lives. It’s a holiday and time of year that focuses on family, friends, and food – which, compared with other present-and-pressure-filled holidays, is refreshing in my opinion. Full disclosure, I never cook a full Thanksgiving meal, so maybe it’s not so relaxing to some of you cooks out there. In a world that constantly tells us that we need more, more, more it’s nice to remember all that we have and the basics of what we actually need.
With Covid-19 on the rise again, I’m sure we all are more mindful and appreciative of our health and the health of our loved ones. I know that many of us (myself included) have not been able to see family members and friends in many months (if not even a year plus now). For a holiday that normally centers around gathering and sharing space in someone’s home, it will be hard to figure out how to celebrate Turkey Day this year. With people deciding if they should travel, if they are able to host outside, if they can even go to a restaurant, and if they can truly stay distanced and safe, there are so many unknowns and challenges this year.
We had the good fortune of seeing my in-laws (who we hadn’t seen in over a year) and my brother and his girlfriend (who we hadn’t seen since the beginning of this pandemic) over these past six weeks. We won’t see them for the holidays, but I am grateful for the many miles they drove and the weeks they spent in Santa Barbara. We still are missing seeing other family members and friends greatly, and I can’t wait for the long hugs we will share again one day. There’s no doubt that this Thanksgiving will be unlike any other, but in the spirit of the holiday, I’m reminding myself to focus on the “haves” instead of the “have-nots.”
Instead of concentrating on the differences this year and what may be lacking, I’m looking at all that I have to be grateful for. We were able to spend time with family (even if it wasn’t centered around a holiday), we have remained healthy, we can still spend time in the beautiful outdoors, and we can have record amounts of snuggle time with our pets. Although Zoom, Skype, and FaceTime have probably lost some of their initial appeal and excitement, it’s still nice to have ways of keeping in touch even if we can’t physically be somewhere. I’m sure that we will virtually be checking in and celebrating with family and friends a lot these next couple of months.
This also may be the year of starting new traditions. Patrick and I would normally be dealing with expensive flights, crowded airports, and lots of travel time logged. This year, we will most likely spend the holidays with our immediate, local family or maybe just by ourselves. Maybe we’ll have sushi instead of turkey or set a picnic instead of a table. Maybe we’ll spend more time outdoors instead of indoors. Maybe we’ll even enjoy a more relaxed holiday season instead of the usual hustle and bustle. As I said before, with 2020 all the rules are out the window.
I wish you all a wonderful (early) Thanksgiving (no matter if you end up celebrating or not) and a happy rest of November. Cheers to appreciating what we have and turning limes into margaritas (see photo) and giving thanks to our many blessings. Whether you are able to celebrate like you normally would or whether this year looks completely different than years past, I hope you are able to give thanks, rejoice in the spirit of the season, and potentially create some new (and possibly improved?) traditions.
