Loss Of A Holiday

I come from a strange family, OK not strange but we generally all like each other. We don't have any big blowout fights or hatred for one another we are basically content and know each of us has our own quirks and goes with it.


For many years (mostly through my childhood) we all lived very close together actually most of us were in the same town so all of my holidays consisted of going to my grandparents (fathers parents) for dinner and then cross the street to my other grandparents for the real fun part of the holiday. My cousins were there and the rest of my family. I loved it, I loved the holidays and actually still do. I remember that my Uncle Mike, who sadly has long left this earth used to dress up as Santa on Christmas Eve (we had no idea it was him, crazy kids) and come and visit us. Now I am not really sure why we believed that on the busiest night of the year Santa swung by a town like Moonachie to visit us but who cared at the time it was fun, fun, fun.


Christmas Day was always at our house, a small Moonachie house that was definitely more than tight for the 20+ people at Christmas but we strung tables end to end all through the house and made it work. The food that came from the 7x10 kitchen I still think about. Mmmmm


Fast forward to the present...Most of us are grown and married and there is now a new generation of little ones. While we enjoy each and every one, it's not the same. Most of the holiday get together have been broken off into the new family units except we did Thanksgiving together still. Oh course it changed some, as my poor 90+ grandfather never came anymore and we had the wonderful addition of Marta my grandparents live in helper but it was the holiday where we all were together and all in all it was a fun time.

This year that will end unfortunately and with Thanksgiving around the corner I am really very sad about it. My aunt who hosted dinner in her big house has moved out of state and no one has a home big enough to do such a large event. So again we will break off into our small immediate family units to make a new celebration and new traditions.

It's a loss for me, I strangely will miss it.