Thanksgiving
It’s sunny and 44. Just like the weatherman said it would be. Pretty warm for this time of the year, so we better enjoy it. There will be two feet of snow soon, and we’ll wish for sunny and 44.
But the store’s not open today; well yes, that one is, but that’s not where you go. Why didn’t I think of this yesterday? It’s a holiday. There will be food. Of course we need a new serving platter — we dropped the old one on the floor after my sister’s party. It had been in the family for generations; it was handmade by your great-grandmother, you know. The pattern on it was intricate and inspiring. Just go to the store and get a new one, it doesn’t matter which store. It won’t be the same anyway.
We’ll use the good dishes from my great-grandmother today. Everybody has good dishes they don’t use every day, that’s why they’re the good dishes. Some people could call it a waste, yes, but it’s just what is. Holidays should be special, they should have that extra level of niceness. But it’s too bad the platter got dropped. Why are you still here? Go to the store! Whichever one is open, just look for a bunch of cars and pull in.
People are driving with their windows down. It’s strange being outside without wearing a jacket. It’s November. Where is the snow? Why is there still green ground? The SUV in front has bumper stickers for Michelle Bachmann, George Bush, and the ever-present yellow ribbon. They turned into the SA, which is stupid. It is so much cheaper at Food ‘n Fuel.
You have to talk with your mother. If you don’t, someone else will. This is the third time this week we’ve been over here. The fundraiser is next month, are you going to be home for it? It looks better having us all there. The store will be open, stop saying it won’t. That store isn’t open, but this one is. It’s still early in the day.
It’s sunny and 44. The bank on the corner says 10:42, but the city hall clock says 10:50. And the convenience store says 43. Does it ever snow around here anymore?
Be nice to your sister. Let’s go around the table and share what we’re thankful for this year. We’ve never done that before. It would be nice. Stop throwing corn at your sister. I don’t care who started it, I’m finishing it.
Sometimes we want to say what we’re thankful for, but we just can’t. Sometimes there are things we’re thinking, but we can’t share them. What if it didn’t matter? What if everything was just shared. What if it didn’t matter?
Oh stop asking questions. Clean up the table. Then we’ll go cut down the tree.
There’s not a cloud in the sky. I wonder if it’s going to get above 44 even. It probably could, if it kept up like this. The decorations look funny in the yard without snow. No breeze or wind today, either.
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Daniel Ross-Jones serves as Minister for Youth & Young Adults at First Congregational Church of Palo Alto, United Church of Christ. Living in the San Francisco Bay Area for a time still measured in months, he is frequently getting lost and discovering treasures of a landscape very different from his Upper Midwestern roots. Green Jello Hotdish is a blog exploring the intersections of his days. 
