| |
|
First off—it's one word, Thanksgiving.
Secondly—Thanksgiving is the American holiday most associated with family togetherness. Many, if not most, companies give employees the day after Thanksgiving as a paid holiday, and Thanksgiving week is the heaviest travel week for US airlines and on US highways. It's less about the meal than it is about the company and the surroundings—a return to your parents' house, or your grandparents' house, for a Thanksgiving just like all the ones before.
Because it's a celebration of continuity, really, and doing it the same way from year to year is a big part of the mystique. It gives people a feeling of security in a rapidly-changing world, I think. Admittedly, sometimes it goes to ridiculous extremes: There are lots of stories about, say, Grandma's brussels sprout casserole, which nobody really liked, but which she served every year because, well, that's how she'd always done it, and which people would have missed had it been removed from the menu, even though they didn't actually enjoy eating it; they just enjoyed the idea of it.
In any case, starting your own family means starting your own traditions—and new traditions take many years to really establish. It's common for many married couples to return to one in-law home or another for the holiday, rather than celebrating as a small family unit. It's rather wrenching—but also liberating—to strike out on your own and establish a Thanksgiving routine from scratch.
The specifics—You'll have to talk to your fiancée about these, and see how she feels about her family's traditions. A typical menu will include roasted turkey with bread stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, various vegetable dishes (green peas and corn/maize, esp.), jellied cranberry sauce (this is vital!), and a variety of desserts—mainly pies, especially pumpkin and pecan. But, as noted above, every family has its own quirks.
The meal is generally served in mid-afternoon, at about tea-time. The menfolk and the kids traditionally sit around watching TV while the ladies work in the kitchen. The morning may be spent watching the Macy's parade, an extravaganza of marching bands and huge balloons held in New York City and nationally telecast. Thanksgiving marks the official beginning of the Christmas season, so the afternoon is often given over to Christmas movies (It's a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, A Christmas Story).
Thanksgiving is also associated with American football and the tradition of Homecoming: it's the day when the local high school team faces its traditional rival, whoever that may be—so the morning might be spent sitting in the chilly bleachers, drinking hot chocolate and rooting for the home team. And there's college football on TV all afternoon for those who aren't in the mood for Christmas movies.
No gifts are given. But the day after Thanksgiving, you shop for Christmas presents. It's the biggest retail sales day on the calendar, year in and year out.
You'll need to talk to the future Mrs. The Ball and see what family traditions she enjoyed and which she'd rather discard—and how she feels about starting new traditions. She may find she relishes the chance to do beguin afresh, out of her family's shadow. Don't push too hard, though—it's a holiday intermingled with notions of home, comfort, and family, and it can be hard to cut the ties that bind. |
|
|
