A genuine Thanksgiving

This past weekend was the annual Thanksgiving Thing, courtesy of Ms. No-H. As pretty much everyone who reads this stuff was there (save for a certain New Yorker who was missed), and No-H already recapped it, I’ll skip the summary.

Since the addition of kids to any social setting nullifies adult conversation I’d like to say a number of things to the attendees that I would have said were I not trying to stop the boy from running out into the night without a shirt on.

To wit-

Thank you to everyone for taking the time to invest in our mutual friendship.

Back in the day, we used to call this event “the Fake Thanksgiving,” because it wasn’t the real holiday. I used to describe it to people kind of sheepishly, “yeah, my college buddies all get together and pig out.” We were all pretty young when this got started, and more than a few times it felt like we were playing grown up.

But every time I tell this story to people – I get the same reaction. They’re impressed. Most of them wish their group of friends did something like this, a few have told me they’d try starting one. This event keeps us in touch with distant friends and gives us a reason to shake off the routine.

Thank you to everyone who comes from out of town. It’s asking a lot of people with kids to road trip. U&S, A&C, and C&R piled kids and babies and their requisite gear into the car and came down to see everbody. C&R did over nine hours of car time to have two meals with this group. (I hope we were worth it. Makes me wish I had a house with enough couches for everyone, so we could indulge in those other Thanksgiving traditions: passing out, gabbing, and watching our team lose.)

U&S and A&C had new babies to show off and I just couldn’t be happier for them. There was no adequate way or opportunity to say it then, but congratulations (can I get a ‘Hell Yeah?!’). It’s just so good to see you as parents.

I’ve commented before on how something C (of A&C) told me – about how important people are. Such an obvious thing, but it’s pretty easy to miss. Knowing my own tendencies, this is something I would miss. Without an invite, most times I’ll just sit at home.

And that brings me to the reason I’m posting.

Thank you Ms. No-H.

Thanks for sending those invites.

Thanks for booking the room,
for setting the date,
for setting up,
for tearing down,
for putting up with this gaggle of humanity, and
for refusing to let us go our separate ways.

For fifteen years.

Thanks for everything.