Thanksgiving was not what I expected this year. Something was off. It didn't feel right. We celebrated the holiday as we had years previous, without family. Though, this year we celebrated with our neighbours from across the road. God bless them and I thank them for their kindness and consideration in asking us to be a part of their Thanksgiving, but it felt..off..to me. I don't know how else to describe it.
As Christmas approaches (and having received another suggestion of a shared holiday dinner by said neighbour) I'm forced to contemplate why I didn't enjoy our communal meal. The food was excellent. I enjoy the company of my neighbour. She is intelligent, fun to be around, and funny. We have similar parenting styles and common interests. And while we are friends, there is no real close nit bond with her or her family. Our husbands have nothing in common and speak only to say hello and share a few other pleasantries. So while it was a pleasant enough afternoon, the occasion seemed to lack the warmth, merriment and sheer spirit of Thanksgiving.
I particularly find this revelation sad as I had hoped the dinner with our neighbours would make up for the fact that we weren't able to be with family this year. I thought it would be nice to share the holiday with others. But after some discussion with my husband, I discovered that both of us found the dinner did not live up to our expectations and was more awkward than anything. We've been asked to share Christmas dinner with them. But we've decided to decline, politely of course, and spend another quiet relaxed Christmas with the closest family nearby...each other.
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