Half Thanksgiving
No, not half the food… actually quite the opposite: too much food. We’re celebrating Half-Thanksgiving as in half way between Thanksgivings. We get turkey in June because…. well, I still have a turkey in the freezer from Thanksgiving 2020… and if I can smoke a turkey in June and have all the fixin’s, I’m winning.
Thanksgiving #1, early November 2020 with the family
We all recall the craziness of November, 2020, right? Our family actually had two Thanksgiving meals in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, but on November 26, we were in quarantine because of a close Covid contact with a friend. At the time, I couldn’t get a test until after Thanksgiving. So after purchasing a 15lb turkey for the whole family we ended up keeping it in the freezer… Until June 2021.
Turkey coming out of the smoker
In November, 2020, it was actually relatively easy to get our family together since we were all on SIP and in the same city. So getting the kids and grandkids together was pretty much as simple as a text. Since then both grand-daughters have moved out, one to San Francisco about 45 minutes away, the other has her own apartment and two jobs. We’ve gone from everyone having weekends free to having to schedule weeks out, and hope we can get most of the family together.
For this Sunday, the entire family can be at our house to enjoy Half-Thanksgiving except one: Athena. Athena, our grand-daughter in San Francisco, has to work on Sunday until 4:00 and she doesn’t have a car. So you know the easiest decision I made today? To have dinner at 5:30, and to pay $100 for an Uber to get Athena to San Jose from San Francisco, and thus get the whole family together.
I’ve done quite a few funeral services, and been to many more and there is always one theme no matter how old or young the deceased: ”life is short”, “live life while you can”, “enjoy life.” The past few months I have been appalled by stories of people’s lives cut short. My High School friend’s wife died 14 months after being diagnosed with ALS; my college friend went to the beach last week and found a family caught in the under-toe, he ended up dragging in the Dad’s life-less body. Another friend took their daughter for a surfing lesson in Hawaii last week, and she experienced a rare condition and is now paralyzed from the waist down. What the heck???
I am reminded again and again that life changes, and sometimes quickly. So when you get to pull a turkey out of the freezer and start the defrosting, brining, and smoking process to get the whole family together, DO IT. Even if it cost you $100…. Probably $200 since we’ll have to get her home :)… DO IT. We have no idea where the family will be in November, 2021, but I know where my family will be on June 28… They’ll be at Half-Thanksgiving at our house eating turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce…. And since it’s a 15 lb turkey, there will be leftovers for days.