As someone who grew up in a small nuclear family, Thanksgiving was the one holiday every year where I felt part of a much larger community. Cousins, aunts, uncles, second cousins and family friends all gathered in southwestern Massachusetts (now Long Island) for a week of gluttony and party games.
We’ve lost several key family members over the years — many in shocking and depressing fashion — but the spirit of the week has endured. Having just wrapped the 50th consecutive year of charades on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, I hope that you found some reason to be happy, grateful, loved, or, at the very least, full over the last week.
