Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays. Despite it being a next door neighbor to Black Friday on the calendar, the holiday itself hasn't been overly commercialized. The only ads that you're likely to see relating to Thanksgiving will be from the grocery store, and there's no expectation of greeting cards, flowers, gifts, or any other grand gestures. It's just a time to share a nice meal with your family and reflect on what you are grateful for. I have many things to be grateful for, including the fact that my little buddy is a healthy and happy 13 year old Schnoodle.
I'm also thankful for the unconventional holiday traditions that my wife and I share. Just about everyone else on the planet would probably think it's ridiculous to watch Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parades and the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving Special with the original commercials from VHS recordings in the 198, but it has pretty much become second nature for us. This isn't limited to Thanksgiving. We have a pretty extensive collection of broadcast recordings with the commercials that we watch at various points throughout the year. Watching these feels a bit like time travel. When you turn out the lights and put one of these on, it's easy to lose yourself in the past for a few hours and forget that you're a quarter of the way through the 21st century.
Of course, I am thankful for the delicious food and the incredible family that I have to share it with. I'm also thankful for my home away from home, the Mahoning Drive-In Theater, where I've met friends who I consider family, had countless hours of fun, and where I picked up the wine we had with our Thanksgiving dinner.
Finally, I'm thankful for the existence of movies in general. I would never refer to myself as a cinephile. While I appreciate when a film is expertly directed and has interesting shots and good use of lighting and color, the truth is that I really don't understand much about the craft at all beyond that I know what I like when I see it. The draw for me when it comes to movies is that it tells a story. I'm a sucker for a good story, whether it comes in the form of a book, a song, a film, a piece of art, or any other form that it can take. Sometimes those stories are deep and meaningful and make you reflect on your own life. Sometimes they're just fun and silly. Son In Law falls in the latter category, and it's another Thanksgiving tradition to watch Pauly Shore head down to the farm with the district attorney from My Cousin Vinny and Ham Porter from The Sandlot.
