My Real Life

I know, I know…

I’m a little late.

Everyone else is far beyond Thanksgiving and well into the Christmas season by today.

People have actually been trampled to death at Black Friday sales, people have spent thousands at home ordering deals online, trees are up, and even I posted about how the Christmas music has begun to play at our house.

But, today, I’d like to backtrack a little and talk about Thanksgiving.

We had Thanksgiving at one of my brother-in-laws’s homes this year.

They were gracious enough to open up their home to us, and please note that when I say “us” I mean 24 of us who came to spend the holiday with the five of them.

It was lovely.

Truly lovely.

We talked, we laughed, we ate, we talked and laughed some more.

Even all of the kids got along, and that is no small feat, considering that of the 29 people who were there, 14 of them were 15 years old or under, all the way down to Tiny, who is 2.

Tiny made himself at home with his cousin’s toys:

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Baby made himself at home on his aunt and uncle’s furniture:

I made myself at home by stuffing myself silly.

Real Man and his Dad, the original Real Man showed up in matching clothes…a glimpse of the future for me, perhaps:

It was just a truly perfect celebration.

Then, because eight hours together on Thanksgiving wasn’t quite enough, we joined together the next day, in the bitter cold and snow flurries for a bit of family football in a local park.

Although, not everyone was into the game:

When I was a teenager, I was so sure that I was going to live far away from where I grew up.

Yet, there is just something about spending time like this with your family that makes you glad you never left.

Do we all get along and see eye to eye all the time?

Of course not.

But it’s okay.

Because at the end of the day, we love and appreciate each other and that’s the whole point.