Traditions

My grandmother bought a house on Nantucket before it was cool and expensive. Summer was amazing out there - especially as children with nothing better to do - but the best time to go was Thanksgiving. The weather was usually still mild and the throngs of tourists had long since gone. It was something I looked forward to for most of the year. Sometimes I would fly out - it's a hop, skip and a jump from Boston - but other times I'd take the ferry and soak in the salt air.

When Gaga passed away, we had to sell the house. It was a very, very sad day. Thankfully, the neighbors bought the property and for a few years would rent it to my father for the Thanksgiving holiday. Even though the house was no longer "ours", it remained exactly the same - furnishings and all. It was good to have the family all together at Gaga's.

Of all the usual Thanksgiving traditions - Turkey and all the fixings, Graber Olives, Cribbage tournaments and endless walks on the beach - we usually had a full on lobster feed. When Gaga was still with us, we'd get 3 Lb'ers and split the pieces between us while my grandmother feasted on the bodies alone, quite contented. It was always a happy time.

It's been several years since we've been to Nantucket. It's been harder for us all to get together for the holidays. But my father has a new home this year and new traditions have begun. We were all together this year and it was something quite wonderful. I look forward to making new memories again - as long as some tradtitions never change.