Thanksgiving at the Cottage

Usually, we play host at Thanksgiving and enjoy having the family over for a day at the farm. But this year we went to the cottage for Thanksgiving and spent the long weekend walking through the woods, canoing on the lake, and sitting cosily by the fire with Andrew's parents, grandmother and brother & family.

Anna wrote a play, and the kids had a great time making costumes for us all as we acted out the story of how Thanksgiving came to Sherwood Forest. Erik was Robin Hood.

And my three got to play with their cousin, running through the golden trees on this last, long, perfect weekend before the cold weather really sets in.

Thanksgiving is my favourite holiday of the year. There's something so simple and wholesome about it. It's about family and friends, and serves as a reminder of what is truly important.

Thanksgiving 2

On Friday night, the day before I hosted our family thanksgiving, I was a bit wound up. It has been a busy week, and I was tired and had not had time to make some of the dishes I had planned ahead of time. I took a deep breath, and relaxed, remembering an old Manx folksaying my grandmother used to say: Traa-dy-liooar, which translates as “Time Enough.”

Early on Saturday, as I took the turkey out of its brine, popped it in the oven, and turned to face the pile of carrots and potatoes for peeling, I got to thinking how easy it was to forget that the things we complain about are the very things for which we should be thankful. And I began to restructure my thoughts in a way much more in tune with the holiday we celebrated. By the time I was done, I felt not stressed but blessed, and sat outside with a mug of tea listening to the happy shouts of the children.

I am thankful for being too busy all week to prepare, for it means I have an active, healthy family; I am thankful to be hosting a great feast for it means we have loved ones coming to share our day; I am thankful for the pile of potatoes and vegetables to peel for it means we have plenty to eat; and I am thankful for the wisdom of grandmothers and their ancient proverbs for putting everything in perspective. Time Enough for everything, indeed.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving might just be my favourite holiday of the year. Not just because of the beauty of the season, but also because it seems so natural this time of year to get together with family and share a meal.

We had two thanksgivings this year. Lucky us.

One last weekend at my brother Paul’s cottage up near Madoc with my family. I think there were 20 of us jammed into the cottage with its lovely view of a lake, but if it was chaos it was the best sort (See picture - Where will we all sit?).

My favourite part was sitting on the dock with my two sisters-in-law, Jasmine and Melissa, sipping a glass of red wine and talking about – what else? – the kids (My three, Jasmine’s 16 year old son, Peter, and Melissa’s 8 year old daughter, Emma), while back at the cottage, my sister Michelle and sister-in law Marion supervised their babies (with the help of Nana), the kids ran riot outside with the dogs, and the menfolk gathered around the barbecue where Paul rotisseried a quartet of chickens for dinner.

The other Thanksgiving was with the other half of my family at our farmhouse on Saturday. Andrew’s parents and grandmother came down, along with his brother & family – Dave, Bronwen and my adorable 2 year old niece, Orria. We had a traditional turkey with all the trimmings, and went on a hay wagon ride (See picture - Gram and her great-grandchildren)down nearby Butternut Lane, which was awash in colour. We spent the afternoon outside flying kites and running around, before heading back inside for dessert and coffee.