The Gen X Watch Thanksgiving Special!

I want so much to talk about how awesome Thanksgiving was in the 80’s. To thrill you with the stories of yesteryear. But there is something weighing heavy on my heart. It has to do with the people I am most thankful for.

There were some things that were amazing. The Macy’s Parade felt different because we had less channels and no live streaming so it was the show to watch. The NFL Thanksgiving Football game had John Madden narrating in the ways only Madden could do right down to the weird mutant turkey.

We did not count carbs or calories, there were no cell phones to distract us, green bean casserole was made with the finest ingredients in a can you could find pretty much anywhere. And then there were the specials.

There is nothing more Gen X than the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving special. Though the term Friendsgiving did not become a thing until 2007 and is credited to the TV show friends, I truly think the idea of a Friendsgiving was given to us by Charlie Brown and his friends.

But it was not just Charlie Brown. We had “Daffy Duck’s Thanks-for-Giving Special”, “Thanksgiving in the Land of Oz” and even “Q*bert: Thanksgiving for the Memories” to name just a few!

But the fact is, those of us who are Gen X were kids or teens. That was part of what made it special. We did not have to buy the groceries, figure out seating, work all day and stress about the whole thing. For many of us our grandparents or favorite uncle or parents were still alive. The food and the shows were just what we did together, but everyone was there and they were alive and though some of us had pain, there was still some innocence left in us to enjoy it.

The Ones I Am Thankful For That Concern Me

This year I will be having 5 young adults in their 20’s over for my Asian fusion Thanksgiving feast. It will be later in the evening because many of them have to attend thanksgiving with family members. In those family dinners before coming to my place they will have to face a different hell than I ever had to.

They will be going to homes that do not accept them for various reaons. Queer, neurodivergent, some form of disability, and other horrible reasons not to accept someone as they are. These precious young people are sitting at tables where to oneself is not acceptable. Their identities have to be stuffed into closets and masks even deeper than the cavity the turkey stuffing is jammed in.

My after meal with them is a bittersweet affair every year. It is a decompression chamber where they can just be themselves while unpacking a day of unavoidable trauma and hurt.

I love the tradition I have at my condo to be a safe space, but I hate what they have to endure year after year after year. And I hate what you might go through.

My Wish For You

I see so many people stressed out right now for various reasons. The Holidays are, on paper, supposed to be a time of togetherness, cheer, love, and family. But that is not the reality for so many that I know. If you are one of those. I am sorry.

My wish for you is that you find a table where you are loved exactly as you are. The wish is that you find peace in that table. The peace to be yourself and not have to perform for others.

If you are sad, cry. If you are angry, scream. Heck, if you do not want to go to wherever it is you are expected to go, say you do not feel well, stay home, pop a tombstone in the oven, and watch the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving Special.

I also know that for some of you, like the young people that will be eating soup dumplings and fried rice with Peking turkey at my place, there may not be a choice. You may have to go to the thing that hurts or be alone when you don’t want to be alone. I’m sorry. I wish I could help make the pain go away. If I can, let me know. Even if it is just to tell me you would like to see an article about something specific like the Rubik’s Cube or your favorite He-Man episode. If it will help lift your spirits this holiday season, I will do it.

I am thankful for you. Without you reading this, I would just have a diary. Instead, I have us and that means everything to me.

Hang in there. And thank you!

Stay totally awesome!

Stay true to you!

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