However, a few years ago, my lackluster opinion of Thanksgiving changed when Scott and I were invited to our friend Fama's uncles house for the holiday. What was once a day filled with bloat and boredom, became a day filled with singing, dancing, and a whole lot of laughs. And of course there's the food.
A Fama Thanksgiving supplies enough food to feed a small army. The food prep for a holiday is serious business for this family. (Seriously, they can talk about the food planning for an hour and not run out of things to say. I've heard it.) Just when you start feeling full, you realize there are four more courses to go, and you better slow down or you'll never make it to the dessert table. I'm a sucker for sweets and there are so many delicious pies at this dessert table, I feel like Augustus from Willy Wonka falling into the chocolate river.
Luckily, there are a lot of chances to burn off some calories in between courses, with the many song and dance breaks throughout the day. With drinks in hands, guests gather around Matt and his piano, pick their favorite show tune, and sing together, doing their best Broadway impressions. Two years ago Scott brought along his projector and set up karaoke, for when Matt took breaks from playing. Everyone had a blast. James and I got dressed up like Danny and Sandy from Grease and sang Summer Lovin' for the whole party. I'm not gonna lie, we kicked ass.
If we're really lucky, Robert, the celebrity hair stylist extraordinaire, breaks out his boxes of amazing wigs and everyone has fun trying on new hair styles. My personal favorite is the long red hair, although my friend Brandon made a blonde Marilyn wig look very appealing one year.
There's so much fun to be had at a Fama Thanksgiving. But there's more to the celebration than just fun. Every year that I attend a Fama Thanksgiving, I also get to see how much love there is between the Fama's and their friends. The Uncles always put on a huge feast and never ask for anything in return. One year I was trying to help and do the dishes and I got kicked out of the kitchen. Nope, guests need to go have fun and eat and thats that.
They also tell their guests they can invite whomever they want. If you have nowhere else to go, you can go to the Fama's and you'll be welcomed with open arms. There are regulars who are there every year and seeing familiar faces makes it feel like you're with family. There are new people who come every year too and they become a part of the Fama family for the day as well. There's a real feeling of love and acceptance and I think it's felt by everyone. I don't think I've ever seen one unhappy face at a Fama Thanksgiving.
Last year Scott and I stayed home with our new baby and missed the annual celebration. My father and stepmother came to our house to spend the holiday with us and let's just say there was no singing that day. Last Thanksgiving was the last time we saw my father and stepmother. They've unexplainably disappeared from my life again.
This week it I realized that it's been a year since my father has seen or asked about me or his only grandchild. It made me feel really sad and angry and not in the "thankful" mood at all. But then I thought of Fama Thanksgiving and I stopped wallowing in self pity. We will be back at the Fama's this year and there's no room for sadness in between food and dance breaks. As much as I love the singing and performing, what I truly appreciate about the Fama holiday is the feeling of belonging to a family; of feeling like you're wanted there. That's the real gift that the Fama's bring to their guests and it's what I love most about being a part of this day. I'm thankful for that.
We will be adding a new member to the Thanksgiving family when Scott and I bring Henry this year. I can't wait for Henry to meet everyone and be a part of a tradition that Scott and I look forward to every November. Henry's been working on his dancing in anticipation of the day. He might not always be balanced on his feet but the kid has rhythm. He'll fit in just fine.
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. I hope your day is filled with good food and lots of love!
No comments:
Post a Comment