Friendsgiving

Yes- this was a marketing term coined last year or so to promote something somewhere and a colloquialism was born. I was having lunch with three of my besties today and got into a conversation about the holidays.  My friend Amy celebrates Christmas AND Thanksgiving at her house in one go because everyone is coming in from a different direction. For several days she hosts 20 people. Yes- you read that right....20, 20+ if you count the teenagers more than once. (I remember myself at that age.)

I started thinking about my own holiday experiences over the years, and how even though we drove each other nuts sometimes, how much I miss it. We have lost most of my immediate family members over the years and even though I do get to spend time with my parents, sister, brother-in-law and nieces- we no longer have that big family gathering.

I remember the Thanksgiving before I got married surrounded by many family members. My grandmother had brought me my mother's wedding dress to try on. I kept telling her that I already had my dress, but she persisted. Finally I told her to make my sister try it on. Her response was, "She's not big enough." I responded, "By big- you mean tall- right?" This conversation came to a head at, of all places, the Thanksgiving table. One of my uncles asked if I was finally going to try the dress on. I said that I told my grandmother Rebecca should try the dress on, but she told me Rebecca wasn't 'big' enough. My grandmother then exclaimed, "I don't think you are fat! I think you are pleasantly plump!" She then turned to my dear fiancee, "Right Alex?"

Awesome.

The funny thing is EVERYONE I know has a story like this. They are usually horrifying at the time, but when looking back, extremely funny. I miss my grandmother terribly. She is the source of many a funny family anecdote.

I was in Alex's office the other day and he was on a call talking about a tagline to go with the "Friendsgiving" concept. As he was talking I grabbed a pen and paper and wrote this:

Friends are the family you get to choose.


At lunch my friends Fatou and Melissa were discussing Thaksgiving. Their families have shared that holiday and Christmas for many years. At some point we were adopted into this fold and celebrate Christmas with them as well. We also do Halloween, New Year's and Memorial day.

I now can again have a large extended family. It consists of people that I might not be technically related to, but have been there for me in the best and worst moments. We sometimes fight as sisters do, we sometimes lend a shoulder to lean on as a favorite aunt would, and we are there for the tears like a mom. We know the good, bad and ugly about each other and choose to love and accept each other anyway. We are blessed, even though we sometimes don't realize it. There are also family anecdotes galore.

I am blessed because I get to spend Thanksgiving with my immediate family. I am blessed because I get to spend Christmas with my other family. So that being said....

"To Margaret!!" (Mel- that was for you)