Cup O‘ Joe
Time seems to pass more quickly the older we get and it’s difficult to fathom, but the holiday season is now officially upon us. Thursday marks the coming of Thanksgiving and that means there are only five more weekends until Christmas.
Thanksgiving has long been one of my favorite holidays because it combines three things I enjoy immensely — eating, being with family and football. What’s not to like about that? Gathering with family and friends for a bountiful meal of turkey with all the fixings, while watching a day full of NFL action on a large screen television is my idea of a perfect day.
Traditionally, we have our meal in the mid-afternoon. The premise is that by having a meal at 2 p.m. that large meal will hold us over until morning. But what usually happens is plenty of snacking before the meal, preferably shrimp rings or bean and salsa dips, and a return to the snacking later in the evening after the turkey nap has worn off.
For years, when we lived in Thomaston, Thanksgiving was held at our house, with either mine or my wife’s parents coming down to the coast to spend the day with us. That was a pretty good setup, because it gave us control over what time we ate, who made what, and if people didn’t like the food there were more leftovers for us.
It was during this time that I came up with the “My House, My Rule” manifesto. It was the first time in my adult life that I was actually able to use that rule instead of my father and I relished it. If I wanted to spend the day sitting in front of the television for the annual tradition of watching the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys in back-to-back games, so be it.
Once children came into the picture, things became more family oriented. We started a tradition of putting up the Christmas decorations on Thanksgiving and would often go to a cut-your-own Christmas tree farm in search of the “perfect” tree. We have veered away from that particular tradition upon returning to Houlton because my father always told me real trees were “too messy and a fire hazard.”
This year, tradition is being flung out the window, as we embark on a new adventure. Along with several other families from Houlton, we will be hopping a bus and heading to New York City to take in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade to see the Rockettes Christmas show, among other attractions. My wife has desperately wanted to go to New York for some time now, but the thought of us driving there ourselves was intimidating to say the least.
While there remains much unrest with the country following the recent presidential election, there is still plenty to be thankful for this holiday season. For me, I am thankful for my health and the health of my family. I’m thankful my father is a part of our daily lives, even though he does tend to just show up and start working on a project — sometimes without me even knowing about it.
I am thankful that I have a loving wife who puts up with all the things that I do that annoy her (like writing about our lives for everyone to read and for working at a job where people come up to me to pitch story ideas while at the supermarket).
I am thankful for two happy and healthy children who also seem to enjoy each other and still listen, mostly, when we ask them to do something they do not want to do — like clean their rooms or empty the dishwasher.
I am thankful that my wife’s mother gets to spend time with us and that I have a brother, and two brother-in-laws and two sister-in-laws who are enjoying healthy, productive lives. I am also thankful for the friends that I have been able to reconnect with since moving back to the Shiretown, and for the ones that I have been able to stay close with who no longer live here.
I am grateful to have good friends who are there for support when needed. I am also appreciative to have God in my life and the lives of our children, with a special thanks to Pastor Wayne Robertson for his support through prayer during a difficult time.
I also asked Houlton Pioneer Times staff to share some of the things they are thankful for this holiday season. Here are their responses:
Wanda MacIlroy, office manager — “I have much to be thankful for. First of all, for God being so good to me, and for my husband, my children and their spouses, and my three grandchildren. I love all of them very much.
“I am thankful I was born in the United States and have been so blessed. I am thankful for all that have served and still serve so that I am able to say God Bless America.”
Dave Bates, advertising — “I am thankful for our town of Houlton, and for all that make this area such a great place to work and live. For those who have invested and believed in Houlton over the years I am truly grateful! Most of all I am thankful for the love of my family and our great God for His continued blessing on our community.”
Lanette Virtanen, page designer — “My family and friends. I’m also thankful for my job. This is the best thing to happen to me in a very long time. Going to college so late in my life made for so many changes in my life, but the best change of all was learning about pagination at UMPI and then being able to use that knowledge to get this job at Northeast Publishing.”
Mark Putnam, managing editor — “I am thankful for Thanksgiving Day. It has become one of my personal favorite holidays because it has been carved out of the year as the time we have been able to pull our extended family together in one place — if only for a day.
“I am thankful for the blended family my wife Sue and I have been blessed with. Like the ‘Brady Bunch’ our family features six children — three girls and three boys; three of hers and three of mine. This bunch has blessed us with nine grandchildren (to-date) and there is never a dull moment.
“Realizing that our children now have family commitments of their own to attend to, Sue and I look forward to Thanksgiving each year as the time when our growing clan gets together for a day of family, food and fun.”
We wish all of our readers a very Happy Thanksgiving. The Houlton Pioneer Times office will be closed Thursday, Nov. 24 for the holiday and will reopen on Friday, Nov. 25 at 8 a.m.
Joseph Cyr is the staff reporter for the Houlton Pioneer Times. He can be reached at jcyr@pioneertimes-me.com or by calling 532-2281.
