MIDDLE CHILDREN, THANKSGIVING SALUTES YOU

America's Big Turkey Day arrives this Thursday. (No, I'm not referring to the inauguration.)  As a diva of a certain age, I've experienced enough Thanksgivings in my lifetime to know that it is the middle child of holidays. Dare I count the ways?

“Why is my symbol a turkey?”

First of all, it falls between the boisterous, candy-filled Halloween and the sparkly, gift-laden Christmas. Yes, children get a few days off from school, but they have homework. Yes, there is a parade, but who is the star? It's certainly not Tom Turkey. (Spoiler alert: It's Santa.) Yes, there is a large family gathering, but out-of-towners are known to give their pat excuse: I can only afford to come in for one holiday, so naturally, I'm coming in for Christmas! 

“Christmas, Christmas, Christmas!”

Just like the middle child, Thanksgiving is decorated in  hand-me-downs from Halloween. The fake autumn-leaf garland strewn across the mantle, the aging pumpkins on the verge of rot, and the mums that haven't been watered since Election Day are all a part of the adornments.  Of course, if there is one embellishment that is particular to Thanksgiving, it's turkeys. They are stamped on plates and napkins, used as centerpieces on tables, and are the November art project of every grade school child in America. After all, nothing says gratitude like an image of the animal you had beheaded in order to stuff, cook, and serve on a platter.  If that's not bad enough, Christmas is already in full regalia. There are wreaths on the doors, trees in the living rooms, and inflatable Santas lying flat on lawns just awaiting their moment. 

“I’m just asking that you wait your turn and give me MY moment!”

Thanksgiving, unlike its perfect siblings - the over-achieving summer vacation and the adorably shiny Christmas and Hanukah - is the trouble-maker of holidays.  But, it's hardly Thanksgiving's fault! After all, some fool scheduled it much too close to Election Day.  Thanksgiving tries to be good, but there are football teams battling in the background, vegans and omnivores duking it out over the ethics of eating the sumptuous turkey, and great aunts still holding a grudge from 1978. 

Oops! Wrong Brady. 

Thanksgiving longs for attention, so goes overboard trying to entertain. Is there anything that screams "middle child" more than the Thanksgiving Day Parade? Between the gigantic balloons, the marching bands that stretch for miles, and the crass promotion of upcoming movies and Broadway shows,  it is the epitome of  "Look at me!" And, yet, even in the midst of its one chance to show off, Thanksgiving gets upstaged by floats containing the Grinch, Rudolph, and the Rockettes dancing to  Mariah's All I want For Christmas. 

“Now, they’ll pay attention to me for sure!”

In truth, Thanksgiving, like the middle child, just wants everyone to get along. The event is meant to be a gathering of loved ones - even those who don't particularly like one another in the moment - to share a meal in appreciation of all the good things that happened in the last year. Some Thanksgivings,  people might have to dig deeper to find those positive events.  Life, after all, can be cruel. But, if we can take just one day a year to look for the small kindnesses that life does bring, we will all be better prepared for hyperbolic expectations of Christmas and the New Year. Our thankfulness for the seemingly small things will serve to reassure us that, whatever the next year brings, we are strong enough to extricate the good even when we are overwhelmed by the bad.

“Let us be thankful for our maid, Alice, who did all the work.”

Whatever your Thanksgiving Day looks like - be it a solo dinner eaten in front of the TV or a catered affair for a gathering of one-hundred - know that this middle-child Diva is hoping you have a year filled with more opportunities to be thankful than you can count. Happy Thanksgiving!