Thanksgiving Memory

I have spent the day cleaning the house for company on Thursday. I really wanted to just decorate! Unfortunately, sweeping and washing floors and cupboards came first. Not as much fun but now my house will be good to go right through all the holidays. When I finally sat down to relax with a hot cup of cider, I was pleased with how the house was looking even if the look would only be for the next few days....because on Thanksgiving night, the Christmas decorations come out. But for now, the decorations symbolize the harvest bounty of the season along with the warmth and coziness of family time. In the family room there is a basket that is filled with childrens' books reflecting the season. The Halloween themed books it recently held have been replaced with Thanksgiving stories. They belong to my daughter who is now 21. She asked me today why the books are still brought out.... at this time there are no longer any younger cousins. I reminded her that we do have friends with little ones. They love to read the books when they visit. More importantly, as I explained to my daughter, they represent the happy and innocent times of her youth, when she would curl up in my lap and we would read together. Our favorite was always "A Turkey for Thanksgiving" by Eve Bunting. Both the illustrations and the story are charming. When I see the books in the basket, and remember the happy memories, it makes me smile. Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday and I will not start celebrating the Christmas season until the last dish has been washed and put away from the Thanksgiving dinner. She smiled and understood. Then with our hot drinks in hand, we sat down and looked at the books together, for old memory sake.