A New Thanksgiving at Holden Village – 11/28/2011
November 28th, 2011It’s Thanksgiving, but not the Thanksgiving that I have remembered. For one, I am living in a chalet, which is such an improved word than house or apartment. I am already thinking when I go down lake I must tell people I live in a chalet just because I enjoy saying that word so much.
Thanksgiving day starts out with brunch and Martins at 10 am. I usually skip breakfast in a normal Thanksgiving, but since Holden has their Thanksgiving at 4 pm I know I am not strong enough to go without food all day. As I walk from my chalet to the dinning hall, I observe kids screaming with joy and laughter as they sled down Chalet Hill. I start to have nostalgic memories of being a kid and playing in the snow. As I walk into the dinning hall, people are having conversations, smiling, laughing. Who couldn’t be happy here? As I eat with my wife and my mother in law, I begin to think how nice this new Thanksgiving might be.
They announce that the Copper Bowl will begin at 1 pm. I’m excited; here is a fun activity that will allow me to burn calories and eat guilt free tonight during Thanksgiving dinner. Back home, down lake, my Thanksgiving activities were usually playing cards or video games with my family all day long. As kickoff for the Copper Bowl approaches, I am surprised by how organized it is and how many people, villagers and guests, are involved. The young and the old are band members. Jeff Pierce has transformed from the leader of the Fire Brigade to a cymbal player for the band. Holden is even streaming coverage of the game live so people can watch from the comfort of Fireside while enjoying cheese and cracker snacks.
I could go on and on about the Copper Bowl, but to sum it all up: it’s like the Village is on group high. People have tons of energy and are getting involved in all sorts of things. I remember thinking, “Does the person who came to Holden already like this or does coming to Holden allow us all to be ourselves, to have fun, and to foster many different activities so everyone feels like they have a part to play?” Who knows, but the point is, I was happy that day. If I missed a couple of passes or underperformed when I got a change to play quarterback, it didn’t matter; I was having fun.
After the game (which we, the Saints, won! I like to brag, since the Sinners were really showing us up until the end, when we came back with a bang!), I watched the commercials that some Villagers produced. They were witty and hilarious. I mean, real football commercials are funny too, but these were better! I knew the kid that was eating the meat (“Meat! It’s what’s for breakfast/coffee break/lunch/dinner at Holden!”), and I knew the Pastor who was marketing the boxed wine.
Thanksgiving Dinner arrived. It was a great dinner and I didn’t even take advantage of my burned calories by stuffing myself beyond reason. But I didn’t need to get more food, great as it was. I was content with myself. I was enjoying sharing my life and talking and listening to other people instead. Later that night, I played cards with a few people who I enjoy very much. As I was sipping my apple cider, ok, gulping my apple cider, and eating the remarkable sour cream apple pie, I realized that I was not disappointed that I was unable to spend my Thanksgiving back home with my family. I had family all around me, and I had met some wonderful people whom I never would have if it hadn’t been for this Thanksgiving here at Holden Village.
By,
Nathan Render
