That Friday After Thanksgiving

No, I am not the tall green guy!

It is amusing how traditions are born and evolve.  The Friday after Thanksgiving has become understood as "Exterior Illumination Day" for my sons and their families.  The term is borrowed from the movie "Christmas Vacation," featuring the Griswold family, who attempt to navigate their expectations for Christmas with the realities of their family relationships.  The phrase, "You taught me everything I know about exterior illumination", inspired our tradition for this special day after Thanksgiving.

Some thirty years ago, my wife went shopping before Thanksgiving and purchased several boxes of the newest holiday trend, icicle lights, declaring that she would like to see them twinkling on our house for the Christmas season.  Formerly, our exterior holiday decorations consisted of a single wreath hung near the door, which was lit tastefully by a single spotlight.  It took me less than twenty minutes to create the entire holiday display.  I used to feel pretty smug about looking like we had holiday spirit without all that excessive effort others invested in the creation of their elaborate light displays.

Those multiple boxes of icicle lights were a message to me that things were about to change.  Metaphorically, the icicle lights were my Christmas star, although I didn't know it at the time.  I plodded forward by removing the lights from their boxes and attempting to untangle them, then stretching each kinked icicle strand.  My epiphany then was that I should not suffer alone.  Therefore, I mandated my two sons join me as "co-sufferers" in this onerous task on that Friday after Thanksgiving some thirty years ago.

We began our morning with a hot breakfast at the local diner to numb our suspicions that today would be a total waste of our time and hopefully would trend away as a one-and-done affair.  As we hung those icicle lights, we learned about the intricacies of installing cup hooks or gutter clips in subfreezing temps.  We discovered that these tasks require removal of gloves.  No pain, no gain!  We also learned that exterior illumination requires planning for the direction of installing strings of lights so they end near an electrical outlet.  Nothing sucks away the Hallmark moment more than realizing that you must reinstall the lights because they are strung away from the only outdoor outlet.  Together, we learned that Christmas lights carry restrictions regarding how many strings may fit together, and in the process of gaining this knowledge, we also learned it is never wise to craft an extension cord with two male connectors.  Oh, the things we learned during those first years.  In spite of these setbacks, we were encouraged by the way the lights sparkled at night and illuminated our achievements.

Today, we are experts at exterior illumination because it says so on the sweatshirts we wear on that Friday--- Griswold & Sons, Exterior Illumination Experts.  As the years passed, our tradition didn't fade even as our lives changed.  When college took each son away from home, the boys would call before returning home to see what Mom was cooking that Thanksgiving and to check whether we would be putting up the Christmas lights together again.  Their calls helped me understand that this task had transitioned from being just another chore to being something more significant.

I am pleased to report that our "family business" has grown as each of my sons has invited their daughters or sons to join us on this one special Friday after Thanksgiving.  Many more company shirts were ordered, and we now require the diner's largest table for our pre-decorating breakfast.  We still freeze our hands and butts, still laugh about the decorating mistakes we continue to make, and still freely quote lines from the "Christmas Vacation" movie while seeing ourselves embracing the approaching Christmas and one another.

As I reflect on this silly and simple tradition, I stand amazed that what was once a bothersome task evolved to become a celebrated holiday tradition.  It gives me deep pride to see that each of them has embraced the practice of decorating one another's homes, and they continue including me in the process.  I no longer climb the ladder, but I do my best to try not to get my feet entangled in the light cords or step on the bulbs.  The grandkids who joined us over the years remained with us through their high school and into their college years.  They even shunned the lure of Black Friday sales to kick off their holiday season by untangling balls of Christmas lights and hanging those lights in chilling weather as if we knew what we were doing. Like me, they have discovered that the joy and love we crave for the holidays can still be found in a simple and silly holiday tradition that takes place every year on that very special Friday following Thanksgiving. 

 Happy Thanksgiving

This scene can be found on the pulpit in the front of our church.  I photographed it last week while I was there on an errand.  I liked the colors and the classical nature of the subject matter.  I am envious of the people who can arrange objects into a beautiful display.  The scene reminds me of Thanksgiving from another era.

While attending Sunday service, we sang hymns that beckoned back to fall harvest time when our society was mainly agricultural and life was remembered as pastoral.  My mind wandered to a scene where the sounds of the singing were flowing from a rural church where most of the community gathered to sing and be reminded of their gratitude for the seasons and the harvest.  It seemed a bit odd to be singing these hymns, as our lives and circumstances are so very different from the lives of those who sat in this church in 1858.

Our world is complex and unforgiving in ways that our ancestors in the 1850s could never imagine.  In return, we wax nostalgic about their carefree life grounded in the peace of living simply off the land and surrounded by people who are like us and close to us.  We forget that life expectancy was about 40 years and medical assistance was primitive or nonexistent in this area.  An agricultural livelihood was even more risky due to lack of weather science, seed development, pest control, and backbreaking and dangerous farming practices.

What we hold in common, though nearly one hundred fifty years apart, is our gratitude for life, family, and sufficient resources to share with family and those we love.

A Very Happy Thanksgiving!     My favorite holiday of the year.

Full Heart And Full Shelves

I have not written a blog for a couple of weeks due to an attack by the technology dogs.  The initial was a problem with my computer, followed by an update which fouled up my photo processing software.  To me, working with technology is somewhat like walking through an alley surrounded by a pack of hungry, stray dogs.  You can sense their threat and try to conceal your fears because you know that the dogs can sense that fear and will respond with an attack.  With assistance, I have walked that gauntlet and am moving forward.

My photo this week concerns the loss of SNAP benefits due to the government shutdown.  I am fortunate to be able to work weekly at an area food pantry that receives absolutely no government assistance.  We are a small community Food pantry committed to serving a small region within the county. All pantry staff are volunteers.  Most of the people we serve receive SNAP and our pantry supplements those benefits.  Without SNAP benefits our clients are totally dependent upon the local food pantry. Most of our clients fall into one of three classes: 1. elderly poor with fixed income, 2. mentally or physically handicapped who have collapsed under the burden of crushing medical bills, and 3. families in transition where a young mother has been deserted by a husband or the head of the family has lost their job or has been injured and is in need of temporary assistance.  Before the loss of SNAP, we were serving about sixty families weekly. 

I used the word "fortunate" in describing my relationship with the food pantry -- its clients and the volunteers. This week's photo is one among others which have been used as notecards to thank our donors. What brings me joy in volunteering is what I learn about real life from people in my community.  The national news I read brings division, disaster, and dread to my life daily, if I allow it. My pantry experiences are not filtered through a government talking head spewing statistics and political spin about the needs of hungry people.  Being part of the food pantry keeps me in touch with how ordinary people work across their differences to deliver help when needed.  From our clients I see their joy in being able to receive the most basic grocery items that we take for granted.  At least four times this week, I heard our neediest clients tell a volunteer that they could take less if they knew others wouldn't be served.  (I admit this made me feel guilty for wishing I had more when I should be feel grateful for having everything I really need.)  

When I see ordinary people in my community organizing neighborhood food drives and increasing their individual giving I know I have one more reason to be thankful this Thanksgiving ---and to think this joy comes to me weekly just for showing up!