Blah!!!

I can't remember ever celebrating in a less festive way for Thankgiving.  Everyone was blue, I suppose, since it was the first holiday we were all together since the funeral in July.  In additon, relations were strained in general, over accomodations (we were in a hotel in East Brunswick) and schedules (for example, Beth asked Larry and I not to make plans on Friday, as we had last year, so that we could spend the day together, but then she filled her schedule with visits and activities that separated us*).  Also, though Larry and I fought hard to cook dinner, Beth and Bobbie insisted on buying the food at the kosher deli.  It wasn't bad food, but we heated it up and sat down to eat it with little fanfare.  It ended up feeling so uncelebratory (if that's a word), and we didn't even go around the table and say what we were thankful for (though we did that on Friday night, and it felt forced and superficial).  We also "celebrated" Hanukkah and Lee's 50th birthday on Friday, with more purchased food, but that was similarly underwhelming.  Just a very unsatisfying holiday all around.

* This is not a new issue, and, in fact, played out exactly as I had expected it would, based on many previous get togethers.  It feels like a variation on my own family's tendency (embrace the idea of getting together, but then not being available to spend time during that get together), though for completely different reasons.