Sometime around age 9 Thanksgiving superseded Christmas as my favorite holiday. By then a handful of family traditions had really set in - football at the park (Dad clearing most of us out of the house to preserve mom's sanity), the requisite stop for burgers at Tommy's - only a couple hours before the the early evening meal (challenging the limits of mom's sanity), and the eventual shitshow that was all 9 of us prepping our individual dishes for the great feast (claiming all that was left of mom's sanity).

Some years were particularly laughable - the year we had only two working burners on the stove top, the year nearly everything burned, the year the older siblings convinced a tearful, four-year-old Jeffrey (whose birthday fell on the holiday that year) that Dad was going to cook him that Thanksgiving (Happy Birthday!). 

For me, like most things in life, it meant much more when I actually got to be a part of it all. Everyone contributed a dish- I made cornbread each year, always a hit. I'd been using the same recipe for years before someone intervened, objecting that it called for 2 and 1/2 sticks butter and a half cup of sugar. I was basically making cake for dinner.

When we'd all finally sit down - a time consuming spectacle itself - we'd go around the table, as most do, sharing something we were thankful for. The classics would be quickly claimed (this family, our parents, this delicious meal...), the older ones adding some gravity through the years (my health, my wife, etc). One year an uncle had joined us and he said he was thankful for toilet paper. My aunt shot an elbow into his ribs. It got a laugh that night, but the off-handed joke actually left an impression on me, as silly as that may sound. Where would we be without it? I still think about toilet paper this time of year, as I try to be grateful for the big things and the little things - or rather the little things that can be big things when you need them.

So here's to our health, but also to cough drops. To little ones - and to pacifiers. To our close friends and families, but also the anonymous neighbors who leave notes that our tires needing replacing. Here's to our pets, and also lint rollers. To our loved ones who stick with us through trying times, and also to a good pair of socks that don't quit on us.

ALL THANKSGIVING Flights all weekend at OAKLAND YARD. Wine for your feasts. Wines for families and friends and fun and fiascos. Come sample and celebrate early with us this weekend. Flights start tonight!

TONIGHT: THURSDAY NIGHT FLIGHTS! Gewurtztraminer & Gamay. Six wines that pair with turkey and duck and salmon and cornbread and apple and cranberry sauce and everything in between. Aromatic, complex and spicy whites... and light, fresh, vibrant reds. Flights $15 from 4-8pm

SATURDAY & SUNDAY: All Thanksgiving Flights continues. Both days we'll showcase Flights of 4 different wines, all food-friendly and festive. Flights from 2-6 both days. We'll sample some wines from our Holiday Six Packs and also some staff favorites from all price points. Stop in and stock up this weekend! Wine first - then butter and toilet paper. 

See you soon,

Daniel

p.s. PLEASE NOTE: OAKLAND YARD will be OPEN Thanksgiving DAY from 10-4PM. Regular hours this weekend and the rest of next week - Thanks!