(No Title)

I've told you something about Erin's family, the fictional Murphys. Her best friend, Diana, is part of the Bright family, but on Thanksgiving, she wasn't too happy about it. Here's what happened: All the Brights really wanted was a Thanksgiving that was Norman Rockwellian. What they would end up with was one that was George Orwellian. Luckily, it was just the four of them. No other guests were invited, and none would have wanted to witness the spectacle-the charade-that was a typical holiday at the Brights. The "tradition of the candy corn" was one that had been established early in the Bright household, one of the few such traditions that had really taken hold, and not disintegrated in the face of changing relationships and altered circumstances. After grace is said over the Thanksgiving meal, and before the first bite is taken-but not before Peter Bright has two full glasses of white wine-a dish of candy corn is passed around the table. Each time a family member takes a piece, he or she expresses one thing, or person, for which he is thankful. Sometimes, it's an inside joke, sometimes something profoundly meaningful that everyone in the group is already aware of but wants to hear again anyway, sometimes a small, almost insignificant detail of life. Usually, it's an inane bit of trivia about something that happened just yesterday, or even worse, this morning, such as "thanks for the way Mom never spills the gravy on the way to the table," or "thanks for helping Dad make the money to buy all these great pies." This Thanksgiving, though, became a bonafide candy corn fiasco. Mrs. Bright always started the candy dish around, both because of tradition and more importantly, because she was the only one who could get the ball rolling and make the rest of them feel more comfortable about the process. She usually began with something lighthearted, or comical. "I want to thank each of you for being less of a turkey this year than the one we are about to devour," she said, as she demurely removed one morsel from the dish and placed it in her mouth. As everyone groaned, she passed the dish to Peter. "Amanda, I want to thank you for figuring out that God made Sam's Club so that you wouldn't have to spoil Thanksgiving by messing up the kitchen…" Mr. Bright popped a piece of candy corn, looking very pleased with himself. "Give me that!" Jack laughed, as he grabbed the dish from his father's hand. "I would like to say how thankful I am that we're all so close, and getting even closer." He looked too long into Diana's eyes, as he turned to her and offered her the candy. "Jack, I'd like to personally thank you for not pushing your luck," Diana said, without blinking or smiling. She didn't return his gaze as she spoke, but rather stared straight ahead at an enormous cabbage rose on the wallpaper beyond the people. Diana handed the dish to her mother, who tried to interject a little levity back into the rapidly disintegrating situation. "Diana," she said, "I'd like to thank you for always seeing the cheerful side of every situation." The dish moved on. "Jack," Mr. Bright said, "I'd like to thank you for always being considerate of your little sister's feelings. Not all brothers are like that, you know." The dish passed hands. "Dad," Jack gave it another go, "I'd like to say thank you. Everything I learned about women, I learned from you." The dish hurried onward, more frantically now. Diana grabbed it, and began waving it like a flag around the table. "Dad," she hissed, "I'd be grateful if you'd get a clue. And Mom, I'll be thankful when you open your eyes. And Jack, you'll have my undying gratitude if you just shut up!" With that, she flung the crystal candy dish, crashing it against the window across the room, and causing the shattered fragments to splinter into as many pieces as the candy corn, that would now never be matched with a family member's thanks. Traditions are made to be broken.

Posted by Katy on 11/27/01 at 10:46 PM

Fallible Comments...

Ya' think? Gosh, it's great to have kids!
Posted by Katy on 12/31/69 at 06:00 PM
angst-erific, mom.
-----
Posted by sco on 12/31/69 at 06:00 PM

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Personal blog of christian writer & fallible mom Katy McKenna Raymond in Kansas City, Missouri Katy is represented by Greg Johnson at WordServe Literary Read more Katy at LateBoomer.net Follow Katy on Twitter Follow Katy on Facebook 123 Recent Posts Try Becoming Brenda Starr Off Beat Scattered That’s It So I’ve Finally Signed With An Agent. Now What? The Spoon Sciatica Sweetheart A Woman’s Train of Thought Has No Caboose However much we own, we are all still living on borrowed time After all, when restaurants shrink portions, they don’t shrink prices. As with everything in life, balance is key. Slow down, you move too fast… Yeah, I know. I have issues. Search Advanced Search Syndicate Login E me at katy @ ngenius.com	(No Title) I've told you something about Erin's family, the fictional Murphys. Her best friend, Diana, is part of the Bright family, but on Thanksgiving, she wasn't too happy about it. Here's what happened: All the Brights really wanted was a Thanksgiving that was Norman Rockwellian. What they would end up with was one that was George Orwellian. Luckily, it was just the four of them. No other guests were invited, and none would have wanted to witness the spectacle-the charade-that was a typical holiday at the Brights. The "tradition of the candy corn" was one that had been established early in the Bright household, one of the few such traditions that had really taken hold, and not disintegrated in the face of changing relationships and altered circumstances. After grace is said over the Thanksgiving meal, and before the first bite is taken-but not before Peter Bright has two full glasses of white wine-a dish of candy corn is passed around the table. Each time a family member takes a piece, he or she expresses one thing, or person, for which he is thankful. Sometimes, it's an inside joke, sometimes something profoundly meaningful that everyone in the group is already aware of but wants to hear again anyway, sometimes a small, almost insignificant detail of life. Usually, it's an inane bit of trivia about something that happened just yesterday, or even worse, this morning, such as "thanks for the way Mom never spills the gravy on the way to the table," or "thanks for helping Dad make the money to buy all these great pies." This Thanksgiving, though, became a bonafide candy corn fiasco. Mrs. Bright always started the candy dish around, both because of tradition and more importantly, because she was the only one who could get the ball rolling and make the rest of them feel more comfortable about the process. She usually began with something lighthearted, or comical. "I want to thank each of you for being less of a turkey this year than the one we are about to devour," she said, as she demurely removed one morsel from the dish and placed it in her mouth. As everyone groaned, she passed the dish to Peter. "Amanda, I want to thank you for figuring out that God made Sam's Club so that you wouldn't have to spoil Thanksgiving by messing up the kitchen…" Mr. Bright popped a piece of candy corn, looking very pleased with himself. "Give me that!" Jack laughed, as he grabbed the dish from his father's hand. "I would like to say how thankful I am that we're all so close, and getting even closer." He looked too long into Diana's eyes, as he turned to her and offered her the candy. "Jack, I'd like to personally thank you for not pushing your luck," Diana said, without blinking or smiling. She didn't return his gaze as she spoke, but rather stared straight ahead at an enormous cabbage rose on the wallpaper beyond the people. Diana handed the dish to her mother, who tried to interject a little levity back into the rapidly disintegrating situation. "Diana," she said, "I'd like to thank you for always seeing the cheerful side of every situation." The dish moved on. "Jack," Mr. Bright said, "I'd like to thank you for always being considerate of your little sister's feelings. Not all brothers are like that, you know." The dish passed hands. "Dad," Jack gave it another go, "I'd like to say thank you. Everything I learned about women, I learned from you." The dish hurried onward, more frantically now. Diana grabbed it, and began waving it like a flag around the table. "Dad," she hissed, "I'd be grateful if you'd get a clue. And Mom, I'll be thankful when you open your eyes. And Jack, you'll have my undying gratitude if you just shut up!" With that, she flung the crystal candy dish, crashing it against the window across the room, and causing the shattered fragments to splinter into as many pieces as the candy corn, that would now never be matched with a family member's thanks. Traditions are made to be broken. Posted by Katy on 11/27/01 at 10:46 PM Fallible Comments... Ya' think? Gosh, it's great to have kids! Posted by Katy on 12/31/69 at 06:00 PM angst-erific, mom. ----- Posted by sco on 12/31/69 at 06:00 PM Page 1 of 1 pages Commenting is not available in this weblog entry. Next entry: (No Title) Previous entry: (No Title) << Back to main


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Personal blog of christian
writer & fallible mom
Katy McKenna Raymond
in Kansas City, Missouri