Thanksgiving has come and gone. America’s uniquely stand-alone holiday is meant to bring us together, so we’ve been told. A time to let bygones be bygones. To mend fences.
Sounds nice. But it can be a hard one.
The first Thanksgiving as a national holiday was established by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863 in the midst of the Civil War. The country was on the brink, and Lincoln thought it was a good time to officially recognize the holiday – which was first floated by President George Washington in 1789. Thanksgiving was not declared a national holiday at the time because Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson believed he would be violating the First Amendment, as he saw it as mandating a day of prayer. Jefferson, who staunchly resisted calls to establish the United States as a Christian nation, went out of his way time and again to recognize freedom of religion as one of the nation’s defining principles. Thanksgiving has never been without some controversy I suppose.
In the modern context, Thanksgiving falls just after election season. In homes across this great nation, mothers fret that politics will be discussed at the table and that the meal they spent the better part of a day preparing will be overshadowed by partisan squabbles. But not for us – it was all gobble gobble.
We returned from Arizona on Thanksgiving, where we had spent four days with family. Traveling on Thanksgiving is really no big deal. It beats trying to drive on the interstate or board a plane on the Wednesday before or the Friday after the holiday. It was smooth sailing. Empty seats on the plane. Sparse traffic on I-84. When we got home, we met my parents at the Wild Sage for Thanksgiving dinner. Hard to beat that. Aly Sedlock, owner of the Wild Sage Restaurant inside the Hotel Condon made a fantastic meal. And for us, no cooking, no dishes and no politics at the table. We also got to see Margaret Schott and her son along with Dan and Dorothy, Connie Ramsay, Henry and Nancy Wilkins and some other folks.
Sure, the getaway, while brief, was nice. But returning home felt good too – even with the colder weather and a growing “to do” list. The Times-Journal building renovation is continuing to come along, with the new windows (mostly) installed and set to be finished in the coming weeks. We’ve started to build a new bathroom, shored up the floor that had rotten beams, and looking forward to painting and installing new lights. The new rule is – no more peeling back layers to see what lies beneath. Cover it up, lad.
But in all seriousness, it felt good to come back to Condon. We lived in Arizona for eight years, between 2008 and 2016. It is a sprawling, chaotic, strange and violent place. When driving one day, observing the speed limit, a car began to tailgate me, then passed in a no-passing zone, and then slammed on the breaks. I guess the holiday spirit can’t reach everyone.
But we feel it. It is renewal time for annual subscriptions and we like to read the notes that people send us. Most are encouraging. Some are like that driver in Arizona. But we wouldn’t trade it. We’re looking forward to the Christmas season and for the upcoming holiday bazaars and the Light Festival and Parade in Condon. Yes, there is freezing fog and cold weather. Yes, the beginning of winter is just a couple weeks away. But it’s a great time of year to be with the family and friends. To get cozy at home. To be thankful.
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