I kvetch and complain a lot. It might be cultural. I am utterly alone today. It may not be a bad thing. I hear horror stories of family thankskgivings. My best Thanksgivings were never family affairs but community ones where 10-15 people were present with fine wine. Our church used to hold them for members who had too far to travel or for singles. Another great experience was volunteering for a festive dinner for the homeless than my NY church held. It was the best of all time. I find it very hard to land a volunteer gag b/c people sign up months in advance and even bring large donations. Christmas volunteering is even harder.
I am grateful for so many things. Twelve Step groups have members write gratittute lists. It irks me but it is useful. I was delivered from decades of agonizing pain. I shouldl have died. My knees should be on the ground as I pray constantly. I like Thanksgiving. It shows a holiday need not be religious or partisan.
My mom's favorite event of the year was the Macy's parade. We commuted from NJ as toddlers. It was wonderful if it were a warm day. Sometimes it would be so cold I could swear I had frostbite. No matter how cold we had to see all of the parade. Now I am glad that we had such a tradition. The big deal was Santa arriving at Macy's to kick off Christmas season. The story reveals my age! If anyone is ever in NY the night before Thanksgiving, the event that might be even better than the parade itself is watching the balloons get pumped up by the Museum of Natural History. I stumbled upon it by accident. It is so surreal. It was a bit scary at first. The entire area is lit with those Hollywood bright, intense lights. Watching the balloons in the air is one thing. Seeing them on the ground coming to life is mind blowing. The proportions are mind boggling. Police are present so it is safe. The atmosphere is so festive. Plus, if it is cold, you can watch in ten minutes and leave amazed. It looked a bit like Close Encounters of the Third KInd.