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What Thanksgiving means to me.
By adriana_acosta in To venus and back
November 22, 2010

I love Thanksgiving. It is the one holiday I look forward to, and it’s not because I get time off or because of the food – OK, take that back – I love the food. But most importantly, I get to see my family.

Now that the Acosta kids are all grown up and living in different cities across Texas, getting us all together under one roof is difficult to come by. The last time we were all together was in August, for my sister’s wedding in Fort Worth. So you might guess that for me, Thanksgiving is the big enchilada. It is Christmas and New Year’s all wrapped up. You don’t mess with this holiday. This day has meant more for me as each year has passed by, with the birth of my nephew Caleb and now with my new brother-in-law, Homer – this holiday has even more meaning. It means more memories to make and good times to have.

This Wednesday, I will be making the five hour drive to South Texas and meet with my parents, my brother, Jan his wife and my gorgeous nephew Caleb, who are driving from Austin and my sister and her now husband, Homer driving from Fort Worth. We will all gather and celebrate at my parent’s house in Mission.

There is not a specific tradition that we do each year, we just all get together and eat a big Thanksgiving feast at my parents house.

As a kid I remember Thanksgiving didn’t really mean anything for me. It just meant dragging my self to the kitchen to make the gravy or mash potatoes (those were my two tasks on Thanksgiving).

Now, I think it is the time I get to spend with my family that makes all the difference. It is the waking up early in the morning to the smell of coffee brewing and seeing my mom in the kitchen getting breakfast ready and seeing everyone gathered around the table.

For the last three years, we have taken a family photo on Thanksgiving Day. I have gone as far as naming it the Acosta Gobble Gobble Thanksgiving photo, this year will be our 3rd annual.

Being alone in a city with no family, gatherings like these mean a lot more to me, and I have learned to appreciate my family even more – even though sometimes I don’t call home as much as I should. (Sorry mom!) We might joke. We might argue. But for me this much is true – I love that we can gather together and make memories like these. I grab on to this holiday more now that I am older (and wiser I hope). We are so busy in life that we sometimes forget to remember the great times we have.

What’s your favorite holiday? Let me know, aacosta@vicad.com