My Grandmother was someone who cherished the holidays.. as I do.…

One of the many blessings was that she made very holiday special by the sheer love she put into the holiday. My grandmother would always prepare Thanksgiving Dinner for the whole family, with enough left for everyone to take home with them. Part of the excitement and the fun of Thanksgiving was preparing the meal, setting the table, and watching bits and pieces of the Thanksgiving Day parade as we helped prepare the meal, and as my sisters and I played with each other. My grandmother would always bring out her finest dishes…. special turkey dishes that would come out of the cabinets just for the special day - to remind us of the goodness and the blessings of God. The fine silver would come out as well reminding us of the family relatives that were no longer present or here with us… yet, the stories of childhood’s pasts would be told with the prepping of the table and as we prepared the food.

The love of which was remembered and reminisced on by our grandparents, to share with us… was an extra special blessing. Not only did we celebrate the fruits of the year and the harvest of the year, and how Good God has been to us, but we also celebrated the fruits of my grandparent’s relationship and the relationships of their parents from years before. the beautiful memories that unfolded each Thanksgiving from the recounting and the recalling of Thanksgiving’s long ago… as well as cherished everyday memories of the events their parents would hold, the bakery my grandfather’s parents owned as well as the parties and get togethers my grandmother’s family would have…were a delight to hear and share in…as my grandparents recalled some of their treasured moments during their childhood.

There were many stories shared over the table during the meal as well… but before meal time would even arrive, one of the things that made us most happy, was getting out and preparing the special food for my grandfather that he enjoyed most. My grandmother would always purchase some of his favorite things for appetizers before the meal…he would delight in nuts, olives, and other assorted trays of appetizers before the meal. It wasn’t just with the preparing that we were excited… but the fact that we knew my grandmother purchased the items specifically for him and our excitement would continue in the fact that he would delight in the tiny appetizer morsels that were chosen for him, and remembered by my grandmother - to pick up and purchase for him. It was out of love for him that she would remember to purchase his favorite things, but also out of cherishing him that she delighted in knowing he would enjoy and delight in what she prepared for him… and the mere purchasing of appetizers that he loved and enjoyed….

What I am reminded of most during this holiday this year is that love is to be the reason why we do the things we do. It is so easy to get caught up in all the other things … and let everything else become a distraction from the real reason why we are here, which is to love and to be loved. My grandmother delighted in the holiday because the love the holiday was filled with, as well as the love that backed everything that was done on the holiday. All the joy that overflowed from the holiday… from purchasing and preparing the food to making the meal, to putting on the matching tablecloth on the table, to setting the table with full place settings and festive dishes, to strategically placing the meal on the table and the all the stories in between as well as all the time spent together and sharing the holiday with each other….to blessing the meal, and all of us stating something we are grateful for…. My grandmother would not only get out her finest… but she would prepare her finest for the special day…and recall the some of the finest moments of her childhood… as well as the finest moments of her love for my grandfather. I am thankful today and everyday for the beautiful memories I have of my grandparents and the traditions I have carried on with my own children in relation to Thanksgiving, and honoring and cherishing those we love.

Most of our Thanksgivings also included my grandmother’s albums of classical music… as I would always ask her if I could play them during the holidays…. We would uncover her record player and play her records of the greatest classical composers (of which she had a massive collection), where she would share with us her love for music and tell us her favorite pieces and composers.

Since then, the boys and I have found ourselves attending the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade in person during different years, as well as spending time with family at their Thanksgiving meals, or preparing our own Thanksgiving meals. We are thankful for all of these memories and moments together where we have delighted in each other’s company, sharing and reminiscing, while enjoying the delights of the holiday.
Although COVID has thrown things off again this year, for the second year in a row… we are still very grateful and happy for all the ways God has blessed us this year and for all the moments we have been able to spend together as a family. We hope all of you are enjoying time with family as well and delighting in the holiday… and that your finest is shining!

Happy Thanksgiving!

From Our Family to Yours!

Mary E. Grenchus

&

The Grenchus Foundation

PS. Below is some of the photography taken at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade this year - We love the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade because it is a great place for children to experience fun for free! From live bands, to floats, balloons, and even the waves and “hi” from the police… youth are welcome here! Thank you to all those who make this possible, not just for people and youth in NYC, but people and youth across the globe that tune into Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Live! …and Thank you for letting children be children, and delight in Thanksgiving Day!

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