Dearest Crafting Friends of The Crafting Cottage,
Thanksgiving is truly a time for giving "Thanks". I am incredibly thankful for so many of you. I'm thankful to you out there that attend the classes, workshops, Craft 'n Chats, Creative Goddesses and Card-A-Thons. I'm thankful for the many, many guests who have stayed at the Inn and became "sisters". I am so thankful for Tony and Susan who step in as Inn-Keepers when I have guests at the Inn but I can't be there due to some unexpected situation. I am thankful to Lisa Miller for always lending a hand when needed and to Eva and Cherie who will jump right into the action whether it's prepping for the Syracuse Show or organizing the Tool Room.
I am forever grateful to my family who have supported my journey with
The Crafting Cottage for 17 years!!!!!!
This upcoming Thanksgiving will be very different. For the first time in 25 years, it will be just me, my hubby and Brianna. Tara is in England. Patrick is stationed in Japan. And we will miss our beloved Monty.
Poor Brianna - stuck with the 'Rents (as she lovingly calls us). We'll still watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade and see who wins the bet as to how many singers on the floats lip-synched. Then, we'll have our Thanksgiving meal and the rest of the day will be spent in Football land - ahhhh, traditions.
When I was growing up, I never had a "traditional" Thanksgiving with family. Both my parents were professional actors and my father was usually on the road traveling with his show and my mother would be invited to friends' apartments or homes for Thanksgiving. My brother and I would have no choice but to tag along and spend several hours with all these "adults". My concept of Thanksgiving was that it was a day you travelled and spent hours with strangers.
But Thanksgiving Day was always chaotic for one reason or another. It was always somewhere different each year, too, and the only "traditions" I had was that I either watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in person (it was just one block from where I lived) or I watched it on television followed by the movie, "Miracle on 34th Street" with the young Natalie Wood. But I used to dread going to someone's home that I barely knew with a whole bunch of grown-ups I most certainly hardly knew and until my brother, Dennis, was older - I spent most of the time making sure he didn't get into trouble - we were seven years apart so there were many years I spent Thanksgiving Day chasing after my baby brother in strange apartments; very stressful.
One year, in particular, I actually brought a fellow faculty member with me to a Thanksgiving dinner at one of my mother's friends apartments in New York City. He didn't have anywhere to go that year so I figured - bring him along. Well, my mother's friend was a Psychiatrist and unknown to me before I invited my colleague - had basically invited some of her more
interesting clients.
The day began in the mid-afternoon when we all arrived bringing something to contribute to the feast. My colleague and I had driven in from Connecticut. My brother (who was now himself a young adult that I no longer had to chase after) was so grateful to see us walk in and after removing our coats and delivering our wine and goods - I could see why.
For the rest of the afternoon into the evening there were outbursts of emotional breakdowns, crying - comforting - tales of what it's like being
IN the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade as a balloon walker and did we realize the stress it involved making sure the balloons didn't crash into the traffic lights or get snagged on some low-hanging wire, and the wind, the WIND....
...Then there were the not so subtle comments of, "My, the turkey's kinda dry - isn't it?" to "Pass the gravy - NO! NO! NO! - THE
OTHER GRAVY" to an annoyed guest throwing an olive across the table practically taking someone's eye out. A Norman Rockwell scene - it was not....
...My brother and I were kind of used to the various theatrics at these "events" but I was a bit concerned for my colleague who had no clue what he had gotten himself into.
However, as we drove back to Connecticut that evening - he claimed it was the most enjoyable and fascinating Thanksgiving he had ever experienced and thanked me profusely for inviting him.
Go figure!
However, since meeting and marrying my wonderful hubby - I have enjoyed "traditional" family Thanksgivings for the past 30 years. It's been wonderful. I have been blessed to be surrounded by my hubby, my children and a couple of years we celebrated with my in-laws and even one year my own mother and brother joined us.
What a lovely difference it is to be in my own home, surrounded by my loving family and enjoying a calm, peaceful meal.
Not a single olive has ever been tossed across the table towards anyone!
To continue a Thanksgiving tradition
with you all - I am going to guess there will be
twelve lip-synching performers on the floats this year in the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade. Care to join in this tradition with me?
Send me your guess (before the parade of course!!!)
The winner will get a free "Creative Goddess" Day in 2020!!!
I'll be sending out the last Monday Musings for this year on
Monday, December 2nd and Monday, December 9th.
In it I will share a look back at this incredibly wonderful creative year of 2019 with all of you! Pictures galore!!!
Thank YOU and Happy Thanksgiving!!!
In the meantime - enjoy your friends. Enjoy your family. Enjoy YOUR traditions.
And as always -
Stay Crafty My Friends!!!!
Cheers,
Georgiana
