Bill O’Boyle: Giving thanks at Thanksgiving

Nov. 24—WILKES-BARRE — Thanksgiving has become, for me, one of my favorite holidays.

And not because if the food — which is plentiful and delicious.

It’s because of what Thanksgiving means.

Families and friends gather to celebrate another year of blessings. They gather around a large table and pass the food around. They smile, and they offer thanks.

But as we all gather and celebrate and enjoy our families, friends and food, I offer some thoughts as we enter the end-of-year holiday season.

It is important, is it not, to remember that not everyone is surrounded by large, wonderful families.

Some people have problems during the holidays, and some are overcome with great sadness when we remember the loved ones who are not with us.

And many people have no one to spend these times with and are besieged by loneliness.

Many of us need caring, loving thoughts right now.

So before Thanksgiving arrives, before you make plans to go shopping on Black Friday, and before you party like it’s 1999 on the day before the holiday, give some thought — a lot of thought — to giving thanks.

Yes, by all means, enjoy the turkey and all the trimmings, the mashed potatoes, the stuffing, the gravy, the cranberry sauce, the cole slaw, the sweet potatoes, the green bean salad, the relish tray and, of course, the pumpkin pie.

Not to mention all those football games.

But remember that Thanksgiving is not just a time for families and friends to gather around the table and stuff their faces.

Our house would be packed with lots of “company.” My dad would carve the turkey and the ham — dad was Welsh/Irish and ham was the preferred meat in our house. I recall my mom working around the clock, making every single item on the table and baking those pies. And it was all done on a coal-fired stove

She would also arrange the most spectacular relish tray that would be passed around the table until every offering was taken — pickles, radishes, scallions, olives, celery, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers.

It was an awesome feast. The conversation was always intriguing, especially when football was discussed. And it was all done in fun—never any crosswords or arguments—just good old-fashioned ribbing and teasing.

Before any food was consumed, we all held hands and prayed — we gave thanks for all that had been bestowed on us.

This scene was repeated in just about every home back then, and it was repeated at Christmas, New Year’s, and Easter. These gatherings were anticipated, and they were cherished.

Many times, the celebrations were enhanced by visitors from afar — from places like New Jersey, New York and Niles, Ohio. Family and friends would travel to join in the celebration and to eat their fair share of that delicious homemade cooking.

Aunt Betty would bring a two-pound Whitman Sampler box of candy. Two layers of absolutely delicious chocolates that were compartmentalized with labels on the box.

It was a day that seemed like it would never end. And hours after the feast, as meals were digested during an extensive, snore-fest nap period, there would be a return to the table for leftovers.

Kids were allowed to change into “play clothes” and go outside. Weather was never an issue — we adapted easily. If there was snow, we grabbed our sleds and headed for the top of Nottingham Street. As we went down, we rotated back up with each of us stationed at intersections to watch for cars and trucks. Safety first.

If snow was not present, we would ride our bicycles or throw a football around or come up with some sort of game.

Sometimes we would talk about Christmas and what we were hoping to get from Santa Claus. We knew we had to be as good as we possibly could be. Nobody wanted coal in their stocking. And we certainly did not want to spend the holidays in Kis-Lyn.

We would also sit around our tree and run the Lionel train. We would put a tiny “smoke pill” in the locomotive’s stack and it would heat up and emit white smoke as the train circled our Douglas fir, traveling through Plasticville.

And back in the day, we would begin by attending the Thanksgiving football game between Plymouth and Nanticoke — “Shawnee Against the World!”

And as dark arrived, homes and businesses and Main Street would light up. I still remember those strings of red and green lights crisscrossing Main Street — beautiful. And the painted windows of holiday scenes and the aroma of freshly baked cookies.

And isn’t that what Thanksgiving, Christmas and most holidays are supposed to be about? Family. Friends. Community.

So enjoy another Thanksgiving by giving thanks. Enjoy your time together and, of course, the food.

I will be sure to sample the relish tray.

Reach Bill O’Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.

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