Feast of Gratitude

Thanksgiving is my Favorite Holiday, and it’s uniquely American. I love the food, and the gathering of friends and family. I love taking the time to think about gratitude and being thankful for what we have in our lives even when life isn't going the way we want it to. I love the way we put so much thought and preparation into the feast and the gathering, so that every little thing is just right according to our own particular traditions in the whole. Sure most people have the traditional meal of turkey and stuffing and some kind of pie but the side dishes are varied and often a vitally unique piece of this puzzle to each family group. I once had someone request lumps in the mashed potatoes. For some people it’s just not thanksgiving without candied yams, or green beans, or apple banana salad in a special heirloom bowl.

My favorite is to host the dinner, which in my world lasts for all four days of the weekend. The games, and movies, and activities engaged in over the entire weekend, as well as the various breakfasts are all part of the tradition and ritualized experience, as much as the feast itself. Let’s face it, as a country we like to eat. And fattening up before the winter with shared resources is a very interesting kind of ceremony with deep roots and purpose, regardless of how some people just fatten up to go shopping these days, which is a fattening ritual filled with unconscious symbolism of its own.

Winter can be cold, and dark and long. Building up a stock pile of supplies, and a layer of fat can insure basic survival. Sure nowadays we have electric lights and fireplaces, huge furnaces, and can walk to the corner store when we need more soup. But that was not always the case. Having a huge feast or community gathering was one way to account for everyone, and be sure we were all set to get through winter. The tradition of going in groups from house to house, Christmas caroling, was really a way to check on the neighbors and to make sure everyone still had enough food at midwinter. We would do it again around February first, checking up and sharing firewood through the community. We might call it Imbolc, or St. Brigid's Day, or just a fire festival, but there it is another little tradition, or ritual to check on the health and well being of the community at large in the coldest climates.

Without these rituals we are isolated again, even from our closest neighbors. Our sense of connection is diminished, and our dependence on technology increases. No wonder so many people perish in the heat or cold when New York City has a black out. According to James Burke and his documentary series “Connections”, all this chaos was the ultimate result of the invention of the plow. So dig in, feast up, invite the neighbors and consider how we are all connected and it’s probably a good thing. Also, enjoy some different programming this holiday and expand your mind along with your belly, and be grateful we live in the information age where we still have the freedom to do that.

http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/james-burke-connections/