Thanksgiving Feast

Long ago, my children attended St. Richard Catholic School, a small private elementary school in Jackson, Mississippi. The kids got the entire week of Thanksgiving off, and on the Friday before break the school invited all parents to come to school and have lunch with the kids. They called it the Thanksgiving Feast. The tradition probably continues to this day, although it has been more than a decade since we last participated.

It was our favorite day of the school year, and I always tried to attend, even if it meant leaving work to do so. The school served the standard Thanksgiving fare, turkey and stuffing, punch and cake, in the cafeteria. The food was pretty good, which goes to show ordinary food workers can do very good work when they have the reward of attention and appreciation. Which they did.

The beauty of the day was the kids. The fall semester was almost over and Christmas was coming. The kids all had Thanksgiving plans. Most of the the fall semester work was done, tests over. Three more school weeks after Thanksgiving until the Big Holiday Break. Noël. Everyone was relaxed and happy, and the intense anticipation of Christmas had not quite arrived. There was nothing for the children to do but eat and spend the afternoon with their parents and friends, no expectations, no potential for disappointment, just clear skies ahead. A relaxed and happy child is one of the most beautiful things that has ever been.

Christmas has been partially spoiled by the consumerist frenzy around it. These days, the peace that is supposed to suffuse the Christmas holidays seems relegated to less materialistic days, minor holidays like Labor Day or the Fourth of July. Days when nothing is expected, and happiness can take hold.

That’s what I remember about the Thanksgiving Feast. Good things ahead, but not so close that the warts are visible, hard work over with, nothing to worry about. The golden hour. My children and the other kids at St. Richard seemed to love that day. They loved it in an unconscious way, having the kind of worry-free, light fun that we adults build up our private stores for years to enjoy. Today, most of those kids are probably out of college or have jobs. Some of them may be married and have children of their own. But I still remember them at the Thanksgiving Feast, and even if they do not remember their happiness, it lives in me.