Today my parents asked me what Thanksgiving memories I had. The truth is, not many. We never lived close to extended family and so the holiday was usually a low-key one. I know we usually had turkey and rolls and pie and all the other fixings, but I don’t have a lot of memories of strong traditions from year to year. Even though I can remember some Thanksgivings more than others (like the time some friends rigged the salad bowl so it would explode when my mom opened it), I absolutely cannot remember what we did on the day after Thanksgiving.
During recent years the day has been elevated in status to “Black Friday” by retail stores hoping to make some money on holiday shopping, but it hasn’t always been that way. I’m sure when I was a kid we just hung around the house like we always did on other days free from school. As a college student I have a few memories of doing things like going to the movies or going out for Thai food—activities that would still create family togetherness without repeating any of the previous day’s festivities. When I was married, my husband and I began using the day as our Christmas season kick-off. We would go get a tree, haul out the Christmas decorations and Christmas music, and spend the day making the house festive.
This year things are different; the kids got to have Thanksgiving with me while my ex-husband spent it introducing his new boyfriend to his family. This morning I will drop them off at their dad’s house so they can spend today and tomorrow with him. My day is both empty of an agenda and full of the shifting, heavy emotions that I have felt over the last few months. I have a few ideas in mind, but I’m not sure which path I will take. I might go to the mall and get my kids some cute matching pajamas for Christmas Eve. Yes, I don’t like consumerism much, but the chance to shop alone and save some money seems like too good an opportunity to pass up. I also have about twenty papers left to grade and a lesson plan to prepare for the college classes I’m teaching on Monday, so perhaps the day is better spent industriously. Then I just checked the temple schedule and found out that they are open; my heart tells me this is probably the best option for spending my time. I think I can do all three if I plan well. I’ll even reward myself with a slice of pumpkin pie after a day well-spent. Perhaps I’ll get out the Christmas music too.
How do you usually spend the day after Thanksgiving? Do you have any traditions or do you just do something different every year?
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