Mary J. McCoy-Dressel

Times change. Life moves forward. Who gets a bit sentimental during the holidays? I do.

People always ask where I’m going, or they want to know what I’ll be doing for Thanksgiving. Don’t get me wrong. I appreciate their concern. Sometimes I get accused of being a recluse because I don’t have a problem to stay at home and do my job. Write.

It wasn’t always like this when I had my own family. Well, I still have a family, but one boy is across the country. My youngest son is in a serious relationship, and they do this holiday with her family. Yes, they have invited me to join them.

What do you think my advice is to others when I know they’ll be alone?

“Don’t stay home alone. Go and enjoy dinner with friends.”

It’s easy to give advice. Ask my oldest son in California how many years I’ve told him that.

Now, he says it to me.

I remember the first Thanksgiving dinner when one of my kids wasn’t there. The oldest went to a football game with his best friend (Go Lions!), so it was different with only three of us there instead of four—five if we count my single brother-in-law. That’s when I realized the days of having our family Thanksgiving dinners together were numbered as the kids grew older.

Allegheny River

Back in those days, my family sometimes went to our cottage in Pennsylvania in the Allegheny National Forest in the Allegheny Mountains. My husband’s entire family would be there at the family cottage across from us. We always had fun.

After my married brother-in-law got divorced, I was the only female so you know what my job was, but truly, I didn’t mind cooking for everyone. At least one brother-in-law would always come for dinner anyway. Luckily, my husband (now ex-husband) knew how to cook, and he’d always lend a hand.

Times change. Life moves forward.

If you celebrate Thanksgiving, are you spending time with your immediate family this year? Tons of relatives? Friends? Going out? Staying home?

Whatever it is you’ll be doing, please enjoy yourself.

For the record, I am not staying home alone this year.

Happy Thanksgiving.

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