I have to admit - even if it makes me a bad American - that Thanksgiving isn't a hugely patriotic day for my family. I have a funny feeling that today, with Jon here for the holiday, we'll have more discussions about the Pilgrims and the founding of the United States than ever before, but traditionally it's not something that really comes up. Usually, on Thanksgiving - and, in fact, on most holidays when my family gets together - I feel more Jewish than anything else.
Don't worry, we're not going overboard in our Jewishness: there's sausage in the stuffing and we're having pumpkin cheesecake as a dessert option. (For those of you who don't know anything about gastronomic Judaism, you're not supposed to eat pork and mixing meat and milk in a single meal is verboten.) But my mother has set out bagels, lox, and cream cheese for breakfast; Yiddish phrases will be thrown around; and rather than counting our blessings we'll all spend the day lovingly kvetching.
I can't remember where I heard this story about American Jews and Thanksgiving, but it cracks me up - an ignorant colleague of an American Jew asked if American Jews celebrate Thanksgiving, and got this response: "Yes, but we celebrate it on the Friday because turkeys are cheaper the next day." Ha!
Also, though these things aren't Jewish, I have warned Jon about encountering the following today, ranked in no particular order:
1. the quoting of Gilbert and Sullivan operettas
2. arguments (with no one in particular, because no one in this family disagrees) about how Obama is being hobbled by the Republicans
3. snarky comments about the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
We are basically the people the Tea Party loves to hate.
Okay, now I feel like I'm being really awful and cynical. Sorry, guys. I do recognize that I'm an incredibly lucky girl and have been blessed beyond measure. I am so thankful for my family, my friends, and Jon - to whomever this thanks is due, thank you, thank you, thank you!
Haha, as a fellow Jewish American, I have never heard joke before, but LOVE IT!
ReplyDeleteLove that people still question if Jews celebrate it because it is an AMERICAN holiday, not a religious holiday. And then they are SHOCKED when we don't have a Christmas tree. Like, duh?