Thanksgiving Digested

Well, we made it back last night AND managed to avoid the traffic nightmare. Most people must have gone south for the holiday because we kept hearing reports of traffic snarls approaching the City from New Jersey. The traffic coming through Massachusetts and Connecticut, however, wasn't really any worse than we normally see. So I feel very lucky.

Thanksgiving day was actually nice, punctuated by our family's first trip to the Macy's parade. Thanks to friends, we were lucky enough to have grandstand tickets and thus watched the parade from the comfort of seats in front of Macy's. The only frustrating part of the experience was having the parade grind to a halt for commercial breaks every few minutes. Matt Lauer and Meredith Viera would take a break, while the featured Broadway acts - out of work because of the stagehands' strike - would take their positions for the next round of dancing and lip-synching. Reflecting on the experience, my younger son noted that the giant balloons were his favorite part of the parade. My older son, perhaps more musically inclined, preferred the marching bands . . . AND Ashley Tisdale from High School Musical. (Actually, I'm not surprised by his love for High School Musical, since his favorite movie for several years has been The Sound of Music.) After the parade we had tickets for the "after party" on the 13th floor of Macy's. They put out a complete Thanksgiving spread, including an open bar and a room full of desserts. Plus, the Santa from the parade came up to see the kids and take early Christmas requests.

Late in the afternoon we finally sat down to a typical Thanksgiving dinner with several friends from the neighborhood. Sure, the turkey and stuffing were yummy, and the cranberry sauce - my favorite Ocean Spray brand that slurps from the can retaining the can's shape - brought back fun memories of childhood Thanksgiving feasts. For me, however, the highlight of the meal was my wife's bacon-wrapped shrimp baked in a chili sauce (a recipe her mother always made for the occasion). For those of you who eschew bacon because of either its origins or its deleterious health effects, I offer you a virtual "humbug!" and proclaim that there are few foods on this earth that can't be made better with the addition of a little bacon.

Toss in some football, a Dallas Cowboys victory, and it was a good day. Sure, 2007 has brought its share of bad news and heartache. But there's also plenty for which our family can be thankful. And plenty for which I - individually - can be thankful: family, friends, a roof over my head, health insurance (something I didn't have last Thanksgiving), adequate food, time for leisure and the arts, and a fun job with a great boss.