November 22, 2017 at 3:45 p.m.
Thanksgiving isn't about perfection
Editorial
It’s hard to separate the holiday from the stereotype.
We’ve all seen the Norman Rockwell illustration of the perfect Thanksgiving.
Gray-haired grandparents stand at the head of the table. The turkey looks perfect.
The table itself is the epitome of bounty. Mounds of mashed potatoes, crisp vegetables and more food than anyone needs.
It’s as if a cornucopia had spilled itself in front of the family.
And the family itself is bountiful.
People are smiling. They’re talking to one another. They are engaged and communicating.
Chances are, at some local households none of that Norman Rockwell stereotype will ring true.
The table may be less bountiful. The turkey may be a little dry. And some of the ingredients may have come from a local food bank rather than a supermarket.
The family itself could also be less bountiful.
Politics may be an unwelcome side dish. The college student back home with ideas on how to change the world may find herself next to an aging uncle who hasn’t watched anything other than Fox News for the past decade. Their efforts to get along — let alone pass the mashed potatoes — may prove to be a struggle.
Add a measure of marital discord, financial anxiety and bad news from the last visit to the doctor and you end up with a human landscape Norman Rockwell would never want to paint.
But our guess is that the artist would understand.
And if he were at his best, he’d be able to re-create the cliché version of the Thanksgiving feast into something valid and true.
Sure, maybe the college student would have a few extra piercings. And, sure, maybe the Fox News-obsessed uncle would be beet red. Maybe you’d need a scorecard to tell exactly who is related to whom.
And, sure, maybe the turkey looked better in Rockwell’s original version.
But that wouldn’t make this particular Thanksgiving any less meaningful, any less significant, or any less true to the spirit of the holiday.
There’s absolutely no point in attempting to measure ourselves against some stereotypical ideal. Norman Rockwell would undoubtedly agree on that point.
What matters is that we come together on Thursday, that we remind ourselves of our many blessings, and that we take the time to express our love for one another.
Don’t worry about the Norman Rockwell version. — J.R.
We’ve all seen the Norman Rockwell illustration of the perfect Thanksgiving.
Gray-haired grandparents stand at the head of the table. The turkey looks perfect.
The table itself is the epitome of bounty. Mounds of mashed potatoes, crisp vegetables and more food than anyone needs.
It’s as if a cornucopia had spilled itself in front of the family.
And the family itself is bountiful.
People are smiling. They’re talking to one another. They are engaged and communicating.
Chances are, at some local households none of that Norman Rockwell stereotype will ring true.
The table may be less bountiful. The turkey may be a little dry. And some of the ingredients may have come from a local food bank rather than a supermarket.
The family itself could also be less bountiful.
Politics may be an unwelcome side dish. The college student back home with ideas on how to change the world may find herself next to an aging uncle who hasn’t watched anything other than Fox News for the past decade. Their efforts to get along — let alone pass the mashed potatoes — may prove to be a struggle.
Add a measure of marital discord, financial anxiety and bad news from the last visit to the doctor and you end up with a human landscape Norman Rockwell would never want to paint.
But our guess is that the artist would understand.
And if he were at his best, he’d be able to re-create the cliché version of the Thanksgiving feast into something valid and true.
Sure, maybe the college student would have a few extra piercings. And, sure, maybe the Fox News-obsessed uncle would be beet red. Maybe you’d need a scorecard to tell exactly who is related to whom.
And, sure, maybe the turkey looked better in Rockwell’s original version.
But that wouldn’t make this particular Thanksgiving any less meaningful, any less significant, or any less true to the spirit of the holiday.
There’s absolutely no point in attempting to measure ourselves against some stereotypical ideal. Norman Rockwell would undoubtedly agree on that point.
What matters is that we come together on Thursday, that we remind ourselves of our many blessings, and that we take the time to express our love for one another.
Don’t worry about the Norman Rockwell version. — J.R.
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