Thanksgiving is my second favorite holiday after Christmas for many reasons. My grandmother’s fall feast. Pumpkin pie from the local bakery. Laughter at the dinner table. Blessings upon blessings. It’s (almost) the most wonderful time of the year.
This is the second consecutive Thanksgiving I will not be spending with my extended family in Baltimore.
Last year, my mom, sister and I celebrated in the State of Delaware without our relatives because of the pandemic. However, we organized a post-dinner family Zoom call to play holiday-themed trivia.
This year, I am unable to travel home for Thanksgiving because of scheduling conflicts.
I am saddened by the loss of our holiday traditions. As youngsters, my sister, cousins and I performed a magic show for our relatives with assistance from our Pop. As we grew older, and our shows became less charming to the family, we developed a new tradition of playing White Elephant gift exchange (a.k.a. Yankee Swap). We have so much fun stealing candy, lottery tickets and candles from one another.
Then, on Black Friday, we all meet up at a nursery to cut down our Christmas trees. My mom lets us give input as we trek through the farm for the tallest and fullest tree, but ultimately she picks our tree every year. Don’t tell her I told you, but her choice is always perfect. A morning of sawing down trees and loading them onto our cars creates a big appetite, so we head to our favorite local deli and creamery for lunch and dessert.
Over Thanksgiving weekend, we decorate our house for Christmas from inside out with lights, multiple trees, stockings and holiday knicknacks.
Since moving to Ohio, it’s been challenging to visit for birthdays and holidays because my relatives live across the East Coast in Maryland, Pennsylvania and Delaware.
Although I am sad to not be traveling home, I am thankful I live in the digital age when I can FaceTime my relatives as they gather at my grandparents’ house for dinner.
I am also looking forward to making new memories this year with my community in Ohio. I plan to spend the morning volunteering at the Annual Community Thanksgiving Dinner at the First United Methodist Church, 207 S. Court St. Then, I will enjoy dinner and games with my friend’s family.
Additionally, my thoughtful mom and sister are making the more than six-hour trip to visit me next weekend.
We’re going to my alma mater, Ohio University, for a men’s basketball game. During my time at the university, my mom would visit me once every year during the winter season and we would attend a game.
Then, we’ll share a small Thanksgiving dinner and decorate my apartment for Christmas like we would at home.
I won’t be home for the holiday, but home is coming to me for the holiday.
The location and date on the calendar are not important to me as long as I can celebrate Thanksgiving with the ones I love.
-Ally Lanasa is a reporter for the Journal-Tribune.