Giving Thanks for Family Meals
A recent news story announced that the Wednesday before Thanksgiving may no longer be the busiest travel day of the year. But what has replaced it? The preceding day – Tuesday – because people are looking to extend their Thanksgiving holiday.
Why do we make these grand efforts to celebrate a festival that is noticeably short on hoopla; that most often consists of just sitting around with family and sharing a meal? Because nothing is more basic, nothing is more human. Although we may complain about individual relatives, when it's time to mark another turn of the calendar, to take stock of who and what we are; when the weather grows cold and we count our blessings, we want to do it among people we have known for years. We may grouse about the sameness, but when we have a chance to stop rushing and just be, we crave the comfort that sameness brings. We travel great distances to get to the place where we have always been, among people who know us for who we are. It's not about being fancy or fashionable. It's about family.
Our nightly family meals come from the same impulse, just acted out on a smaller scale. We won't have the whole turkey; we'll have turkey burgers instead. We won't have all the nephews and cousins; we will have the smaller version of family. Still, when the calendar turns (when our work day ends), there's comfort to be had in getting together with people who have known us for a long time, and then sharing something nourishing and warm.
Those whose religious practice includes grace will begin, and sometimes also end, the meal with a note of thanks. Many who are not religious begin their meal with some sort of appreciation. They may go around the table mentioning something good that has happened during the day. These practices have a way of grounding us; of reminding us of what it means to come together and share a meal.
We may be thankful for something big – a new baby or job; a good result on an important exam. We may be grateful for something small – an easy ride to work, a kind word from a colleague, a brilliant sunset. The people around the table will sometimes be annoying or trite, but they will be ours, and we will be theirs. That's worth feeling thankful for.
Mealtimes Matter Video
from Miriam Weinstein
About Miriam
Miriam Weinstein is an award-winning documentary filmmaker. As a journalist, she has won several awards from the New England Press Association. Her work has appeared in Boston Magazine, the Boston Globe magazine, Hope, and ParentSource. A former staff member for North Shore Weeklies and freelancer for Essex County Newspapers, she writes restaurant reviews and food columns as well as features on a wide variety of subjects. She lives in Gloucester, Massachusetts, with her husband and has two grown children.
The Surprising Power of Family Meals
In her book, The Surprising Power of Family Meals, Miriam Weinstein shows how this basic human institution helps nourish and strengthen our families today. You can buy this book from our friends at Smucker's® Online Store.
