One Up

I am a sucker for traditions, especially at Thanksgiving. My High School,The original Central High, has been playing football on Thanksgivng since the 1880's. I've been to a few of those games, but none recently. We have had about the same Thanksgiving dinner with about the same people for about 20 years now. The best thing about it - besides the food always being great - is that both sides of my divorced family are able to come together. My Dad, his wife, his sister, cousins from that side and my Mom, her sister and cousins from their side. In the last few years we have had to expand to two tables - although it isn't just kids at the second one - really no kids at all as most of us are in our 30's now.

All of us "kids" have another tradition we started around ten years ago- the "Cousins" dinner. I don't know if we've ever figured out how long its been exactly. Maybe one of the cousins with a better memory can figure it out. It started because of a lasagne, but it has become one of our favorite traditions and one created by our generation. Lasagne? Oh yeah. One year Alex wanted to add a lasagne to Thanksgiving dinner in the Italian American tradition. Not because we are Italian, but because he likes it better than turkey. Dad, in his wisdom, refused to add it to our menu thinking another big dish would detract from our already bounteous fare. So we decided to have dinner at my apartment or Alex's every year on friday after Thanksgiving and only invite the "kids". We actualy vary the menu every year- we've only had lasagne once or twice. Most of our parents don't feel left out- I'm sure they are happy to not have to plan and pay for another big meal. I'm sure they eat left-overs. Of course over the years we have added spouses, boyfriends and girlfriends and two "real" children (although they haven't actually made it to the dinner yet I'm sure they will). The one constant is probably that every year Alex and I have an arguement about what to make and how much. We have never gone hungry, so I guess we're doing OK.

This year Abby added another tradition onto the cousins dinner that I wish I had thought of. Being a new parent she has been getting into shooting and editing video of her daughter Rebecca - who I always refer to as my neice. So anyway, after making a video about my neice's first year she decided she would document our cousins dinner and ask each of us the same three questions every year (at least I think the questions will be about the same) All of the questions are designed to make us talk a little about what we have done in the past year and what we are thankful for of course. I think it will be fascinating to see the changes in all of us over the years and I wish we had started it ten years ago. It will be a work in progress and continuously growing- just like all new kids -and traditions.