They arrive on Wednesday, the kids from Maryland at 9:30 a.m. after driving through the night; our New York son, late that evening.  And this year there was an extra guest—Molly, the Maryland family’s new dog.

The Thanksgiving dinner menu is always the same, although this year we added Brussels sprouts.  The big difference of course is the kids.  Our eleven-year old grandson is taller than I am and fills his uncle’s shoes.  His brother, just turned nine, did the heavy lifting when we set up the sofa bed for his uncle in the basement.

They tossed the football in the back yard, as always.  A willing stranger took our annual Thanksgiving family picture when we paused in the middle of our while-the-turkey-is-in-the-oven-late-morning walk around the reservoir, as always. The Black Friday shopping happened (without the grandparents) and the kids went to a Boston Celtics basketball game in the evening. Seth’s very entertaining high school friend Jon came for his usual dessert visit, but this time with his new fiancé.

We played Wits and Wagers, a great family game that our daughter-in-law had bought us with more guests on Saturday afternoon, and brought in pizza for dinner with still more guests on Saturday night. When Seth headed back to New York after dinner, it felt like he had just arrived.

The Maryland family got up in the middle of the night for its 3:00 a.m. Sunday departure, and I got up to say good-bye.  It was only when I got back into bed that I realized that I had forgotten to send the last two pieces of French Silk pie home with them.

Another Thanksgiving, with all of its traditions, like clockwork, wrapped up.

December 6, 2015