When my son was three years old, we had a big thanksgiving dinner. House full of chosen family, friends came from out of town… I made a feast. Roast chickens, stuffing, Yams, greens, Pumpkin pie with whipped cream…. People brought more pie. People brought more food. It was pretty plentiful.
I was excited because my three year old was excited too. “He loves the big family vibe,” I kept saying.
It brought me back to my own thanksgiving at three, there was a table full of chosen family, the food was delicious. The mashed potatoes were so perfect that I can remember the peaks; a sort of surreal white bowl of bliss, the kind that I viscerally remember even more than the back of my hair going up in flames as I reached for them. I fell asleep, in the bathroom sitting on the toilet, sometime after dessert. A long day I suppose. I remember my mom coming in and walking me to my bed, tucking me in and giving me a kiss on the forehead. She used to sing, “You are my sunshine…” when tucking me in.
Anyway, back to me, the mom… we were having this beautiful thanksgiving feast, and Chogyi was the first on line when the food was ready.
He stood there scanning the goods, his wide eyes just barely clearing the table top. After about thirty seconds, his excited expression turned to that of utter dismay and he burst into tears which, when they dropped off his cheeks, could have filled a shot glass pretty fast.
And then he cried out in utter exasperated disappointment…
“Where’s the popcorntoastandjellyBEANS!??!?!?!?”
It hadn’t occurred to me that his interpretation of Thanksgiving was solely based on the Peanut’s Thanksgiving special. The poor kid had been hyped up all day for the popcorn toast and jellybeans!
Not the big family vibe, not the stuffing, mashed potatoes, not the pumpkin pie.
Luckily I had some kick ass health food store jelly beans left over from Easter, and they were still good (as if Jelly beans have a shelf life, event he health food store kind)! Toast was easy, and I popped some corn.
This year, ten years later I am going to surprise him with Hors D ‘oeuvres of popcorn, toast & jellybeans.
Remember when you had to wait until the monday before any holiday for the Charlie Brown’s …(insert holiday here) special?
Now you can just go to youtube!
Palace of Muse 