As I get older I start to appreciate the little things that my family does to keep traditions alive. As the youngest in my family, holiday spirit is something that has always been so exciting for me. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite times of the year, there is so much to look forward to. The leaves are changing, sweater weather is in full swing, the food is amazing, and best of all family and friends are together.Â
My family goes to my uncle’s house down the Cape every year. My aunts and uncles sleep in the “big house”, while my parents and my cousins sleep in the “cottage” out back. I always thought this was so fun when I was little that we had our own mini little house right next to the “big house”, that the cousins could run off to and get into our typical shenanigans. But the best part of us all being in the same house is that we can spend time together. Instead of just going over to his house for a couple hours and going back home we get to spend the weekend together as a family and make memories.Â
One of my favorite memories was one Thanksgiving my uncle told me to come over early in the morning the day of Thanksgiving because there was something under the fireplace for me. In front of the fireplace was my very own “Elf on the Shelf” that Santa had made a special delivery just for me. I was so excited because I had never had an “Elf of the Shelf” before and my whole family surrounded me to watch my unveiling of my Elf of the Shelf. When it was Thanksgiving time it was always the best because that meant that my Elf on the Self, “Twinkle”, was coming out for the season.Â
A tradition that is very special to me is one that my mom started when I was about five. The day after Thanksgiving my mom was looking for something that would be a fun little outing for me for the day. So she decided to bring me to the local movie theater. My mom, being the thoughtful person she is, went over to the big house and asked anyone if they wanted to go to the movies with us. Keep in mind I was a little kid and there is a pretty big age difference between me and my cousins, so a movie I would pick would not be one that teenagers or adults would necessarily find interesting. But this was not the case, my uncle and cousin, a teenager at the time, said yes. So off we went to the movies to see Bolt, and it was probably one of the best movies I remember seeing in the theater as a kid. The next year we did the same thing and each year another family member was added to the tag along to the movies. Being the youngest I always got to make the movie pick, so for about the next 10 years, this group of mainly adults strolled off to whatever kids movie I picked out for that year. Since I am older now it is probably safe to say some of my family members are relieved I do not pick the kids movies anymore. It’s fun to think that all those years ago a little trip to the movie theater would turn into something that was a family tradition.Â
Being down the cape in the fall is so nice and relaxing, being off-season it is much quieter than it is in the summer. My family likes to take advantage of this and go to Chatham, where it would be nearly impossible to find a parking spot in the summer. We get to park right on the street and do some shopping. Going to Chatham is something that I look forward to very much. Going into each shop doing some self-shopping or early Christmas shopping is always so much fun. One of the best parts is on the way back to the car we stop at the candy store and get some candy and fudge for the ride back to the house. Once we get back to the house we show off all our good finds to those who stuck back at the house to watch football. If you ask me, the Chatham group always has more fun than the football watching group! Â
Last but certainly not least, the best tradition of all is Thanksgiving dinner. After all the preparation, cooking, and baking, it is finally time to sit down for dinner. Everyone takes their unassigned assigned seat and fills their plate with all the delicious food. Reflecting on another year of things that we are thankful for. Thinking about all the traditions and memories that we have created whether we even realize it or not. I am lucky to have many things in my life that I am thankful for, but the one that is the most important is all the people I see when I look around the Thanksgiving dinner table, my family!Â