Reflection Paper About Thanksgiving

As Thanksgiving is approaching, I reflect back to when I was younger and the traditions we use to have. I spent many years at Grandma and Grandpa Fischer’s house with my entire family for Thanksgiving. Memories of food, naps, the Macy’s Day Parade, and Christmas decorations bounce into my head making me wish I was little again. Some traditions have changed, but for the most part they have remained the same.

I can remember traveling to my grandparents’ house for Thanksgiving, I would become so excited the week leading up to the holiday because I was finally able to see my aunts and grandparents all at the same time. We stayed the entire Thanksgiving break at Grandma and Grandpa’s house. On Thanksgiving morning, we would wake up early to watch the Macy’s Day Parade all of us, girls and kids, still in our pajamas cuddle on the floor in front of the tv. Eventually, my mom, Grandma, Aunt Lindsey, and Aunt Elexa would get up to start

cooking food in the kitchen, but always staying in sight of the tv. Also, my Grandpa and my two uncles, who did not watch the parade, would spend nearly all of the morning outside cooking the turkey. Us nosey little kids always seemed to be in the kitchen wanting to help or outside by the fryer to check the turkey.
After the parade was over and lunch was ready, which was often after 1 o’clock, we would all gather to eat. We would say our prayers and then the food would be served. It never failed that the food was delicious and everyone seemed to eat more than they had planned. When we were all done eating, we put the food away, cleaned all the dishes, and picked up the kitchen. Once all this was completed, by the girls usually, we made our way to the living room and bedrooms. About this point, it was time to sleep off all the food we ate; most of us would take an hour to two-hour nap.
Eventually, we would all wake up in time for us to put up the Christmas decorations. This was definitely a Nicole and Aunt Elexa project, we were the leaders who gave directions. Everybody else got to put up the decorations that belonged around the house, but only Aunt Elexa and I were the ones allowed to decorate the tree. Once all decorations were up, it was time to eat leftover for supper. Again, everyone ate too much and had to lay around and talk for awhile. Before long, this look came over Grandma, which eventually caught the eye of Aunt Elexa, then it passed on to Aunt Lindsey, and about this time I would discover what was going on. It was hot tub time! All the girls would put their bathing suits, except for mom, and we would pile in the hot tub and star gaze.
I glance back on how these traditions have changed; although many remain unbroken, new people take the place in creating that memory.

We no longer wake up super early to watch the parade, nor do we cuddle on the floor together to watch it. The parade is on the tv and a couple people can be found watching it, but we have grown apart from watching it together. The women still cook in the kitchen and the men outside, but as we have aged my sister and I have been expected to help in the kitchen and my brother outside; my nosey cousins still run around to be in everyone’s business though. The food remains delicious and everyone still over eats, and we all enjoy our naps. However; when we wake up we do not always put the decorations up, or do we ever put them up over Thanksgiving break. If we happen to put them up, the leaders and who gets to decorate which places have changed. Hot tub time remains the same, but the people in the hot tub has changed. So, as Thanksgiving approaches, I wish we could go back to how the memories of long ago

were.