I love talking politics. I love talking politics at Thanksgiving. Somehow, we have always managed to get through it relatively unscathed, but that was before this year.
This year, I decided to adopt a temporary ban on Turkey day political talk. Kind of like Donald Trump’s campaign’s call to put a moratorium on Muslim immigration until we get a handle on this thing. It worked for him; I figured it could work for me.
Mind you, I didn’t promise to never talk politics again on Thanksgiving and I didn’t specify exactly what constitutes the word “politics.” Like the president-elect said about the terrorism threat, I just know that we have entered a strange new world and have to figure out how to mix family and politics. The threat of a horrifying incident is just too grave, so we have to put a halt to allowing any talk of politics to enter the border of our dining room. To that end, I banned myself from talking politics at Thanksgiving, at least for one year until we get a better handle on it.
In other words, my plan was to eat the turkey, not be one.
How we all got to this crazy divided point is a very interesting topic, one that I’m sure will be discussed on these pages many times in the upcoming year. But not this week, not on Thanksgiving.
Like many Americans, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. A workaholic, I usually don’t take enough time for family. But I grew up with a family that ate dinner together and my kids were raised that way, too. Sure, we might have a few eating and drinking disorders, but we do know how to relax and eat dinner.
There was no way I was going to ruin the best family dinner of them all, one that is not rushed so we can start opening presents. This is the holiday where the present is being reminded how important family is to all of us.
In our family, the holiday this year is the BIG Thanksgiving. Like many empty-nest families, we have went to an every-other-year format. Our kids went to their in-laws house last year, so this year it is the big one for the Trogdons. And when you have nine grandchildren plus one in the oven (not the turkey oven), that really is one big table setting.
Surely there are other things to talk about, something we all share, like the Browns ... uh, maybe not.
Wait a minute, Saturday is THE GAME! Buckeyes versus TTUN (The Team Up North). There is something we can all agree on. They are the bad guys! As I understand it, they are all liberal Muslims up there that don’t even eat turkey.
Oops, there I go again. That was a good reminder why I must stay focused on my goals this week.
No politics. Pass the gravy. BEAT MICHIGAN!
So I will be talking Buckeyes on Thanksgiving, which for our family is still held at my wife’s parents’ house, Great Gramma and Great Grandpa. Sabrina and I are just Grandpa and Grandma, we aren’t that great ... yet. Our great ones are actually doing great in their 80s.
Thanksgiving is always still at their house. We want to honor them. And, to be honest, only my mother-in-law knows how to bake the turkey. The union, liberal, techno, millennial, tree-hugging, Democrat sides of the family may have to unfriend her on Facebook, but not before she makes the turkey, please, for all of our sakes. We must rally together for this common cause!
Even more importantly, Great Gramma makes the best turkey dressing in the world. So instead of talking politics this year, I will just be talking, “pass the gravy.”