On The Silly Side by Jimmy Del Ponte

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I love the turkey napkins, the turkey bowls and the horn-a–plentys. I love the little Pilgrim figurines, the plastic turkey tablecloths, the pies and the cranberry sauce.

Thanksgiving is supposed to be a time of…well, thanks. We gather with our loved ones and eat like pigs until we can’t move. Then we watch football and someone starts snoring.

Everyone thinks I’m gross because I like the giblets, heart and liver – I got that from my dad, who used to eat ALL the parts.

Thanksgiving at my house used to be like most family and company related extravaganzas Рa nightmare. My mother would get carried away and terrify us with her obsessive preparations Рshe would get nervous and start banging pots around and freaking out (and that’s where I get that from). If she couldn’t find the meat thermometer, there would be hell to pay.

I hated the torture of preparing to have company over, but once the guests arrived it got back to normal – my mom was the most wonderful hostess and chef in the world. She would always invite a stray over for Thanksgiving dinner Рone year it was some guy from Kenya Рmy mom had a huge heart (speaking of that, I hope this year’s turkey has a huge heart).

Today, as in years gone by, popular places for picking up Thanksgiving preparations are Kappy’s and Martinetti’s (where we can choose a different kind of turkey). That’s because Thanksgiving means a day or two off from your job Рand for nothing else, that is a reason to celebrate and be thankful. By the way, how come eggnog is only available around the holidays?

Thanksgiving isn’t as simple as it used to be for me Рmy daughter wants us to go down to her house in Rhode Island and my sister-in-law wants us in Medford. I know someone who is not going to be happy or thankful this year. As of this moment, I still don’t know where I am eating – but compared to 1994, when my brother and I ate Thanksgiving dinner in a hospital cafeteria РI’m not going to be overly picky.

At some point, when my immediate family was still intact, we started having Thanksgiving at Auntie Olga and Uncle Sal’s house. It was the house dad grew up in, so it was also Grandpa’s house – oh what fun we had! Then, one by one, people passed away – and all that’s left are memories. Come to think of it, if you are reading this now then you should be thankful РI am thankful to be writing it.

We all have that long list of lost loved ones names that we include in our Thanksgiving “grace.” So, as long as I can drag my fat butt to any table in the storm, I will be enjoying all the fixins РI may even go all out and have two shots…of Lipitor!

I will always cherish the memories of Thanksgivings past, but I am just as thankful for today too! The kids are healthy, the Sox won, the Pats are thriving and the Celtics are looking very good.

So, enjoy your Thanksgiving and don’t freak out over the preparations Рit always turns out fine. To this day when I go over Auntie Olga’s house I can still hear some of that wonderful laughter and feel the love we all had for each other way back when. Thanks!

You can email Jimmy with comments directly at jimmydel@rcn.com