Friday, November 28, 2008

Untraditional Thanksgiving


This year my family went to La Jolla, California for Thanksgiving to visit my older brother. This was a deviation from our normal holiday plans; the typical Thanksgiving is staying in Houston, eating a typical turkey feast and spending time with my mom’s side of the family. At first I didn’t mind going to California, I was excited to visit my brother and spend time with my family, but was sad I wouldn’t see my friends from high school until Saturday. Then when I got home on Wednesday, the idea I had pictured in my head was just that a dream. I quickly found out that there wouldn’t be a big turkey dinner, and we wouldn’t be cooking, we’d be going out for dinner. To most people, this might not seem like a big deal, but for me it was a crushing blow.

            I had been looking forward to this break since fall break. I was ready to be at home in my own room, with my friends, and home cooked meals. I really didn’t want to living out of a suitcase, or sharing a bathroom with three other people. So it is natural to assume that I was in a bad mood this Thanksgiving, I didn’t want to do anything. I just wanted to go back to Houston and have our traditional Thanksgiving. It wasn’t until last night after we had eaten at the only open restaurant open in La Jolla, that I realized that the holiday season isn’t about the meal you have, it’s about the people you spend it with. I know that most people have realized that before now, but this epiphany really made me think and I wondered if anyone else realized anything this holiday?

1 comment:

Mrs. John Mayer said...

Like you, my parents planned a last-minute vacation over Thanskgiving break. Initially, I was really annoyed with the new plans because I wanted to be back with my friends and spend the holidays at home like we had always done. But throughout the break I realized I was just happy to see my family, even if we weren't at home or with my friends from school. In only a few weeks we will have almost a month back at home for Christmas break, so spending a few days away ended up not being nearly as bad as I thought and I was happy to see my family.