For the fifth straight year, my wife Heather and I will again spend Thanksgiving on our own, away from our families who live on the other side of the country.
Some may look at our lack of family at the holidays as a dire situation, but it is not and I will explain. I grew up with a large family in the suburbs of Salt Lake City, Utah. We spent alternating years having Thanksgiving dinner privately in our own home with just a handful of friends one year and with my mother’s enormous extended family — often in a rented church gymnasium — on opposing years. I always appreciated the quiet family gatherings more than the larger productions with aunts uncles and cousins.
When Heather and I moved to Washington state in 2008, it was the first time in many years that neither of us was with our family on Thanksgiving or any of the winter holidays. My wife is much more of a free spirit than I and she relished the thought of avoiding the hubbub and bother. Initially, I was less delighted at the thought of staying home. However, for the first time I found myself managing a weekly paper and when most of my employees asked for long weekends, I volunteered to stay behind, run the office and cover the madness of Black Friday.
I realized two things that year: first, I love my family, but I love them more when there are miles between us; secondly and more importantly, I learned how nice it was to eliminate the crazy attempts to connect with family at the busiest time of the year. The following spring, we took some time off work and traveled back to Utah to see our friends and family, on our own schedule.
For the past three holiday seasons, we have opted to stay on this side of the country rather than attempt a winter passage to the West.
Still, it’s not as if we spend this time of year alone. Arriving in New York, we have found friends and colleagues who share our interests and we will be joining with them between now and the end of 2012 to celebrate this time of year. On the holidays themselves, we look forward to taking some time away from busy jobs when we can relax on our own. My wife and I no longer cook a turkey on Thanksgiving. Instead we choose some other creation we would like to eat but haven’t found the time to cook.
For the fifth straight year, my wife Heather and I will again spend Thanksgiving on our own, away from our families who live on the other side of the country.
Some may look at our lack of family at the holidays as a dire situation, but it is not and I will explain. I grew up with a large family in the suburbs of Salt Lake City, Utah. We spent alternating years having Thanksgiving dinner privately in our own home with just a handful of friends one year and with my mother’s enormous extended family — often in a rented church gymnasium — on opposing years. I always appreciated the quiet family gatherings more than the larger productions with aunts uncles and cousins.
When Heather and I moved to Washington state in 2008, it was the first time in many years that neither of us was with our family on Thanksgiving or any of the winter holidays. My wife is much more of a free spirit than I and she relished the thought of avoiding the hubbub and bother. Initially, I was less delighted at the thought of staying home. However, for the first time I found myself managing a weekly paper and when most of my employees asked for long weekends, I volunteered to stay behind, run the office and cover the madness of Black Friday.
I realized two things that year: first, I love my family, but I love them more when there are miles between us; secondly and more importantly, I learned how nice it was to eliminate the crazy attempts to connect with family at the busiest time of the year. The following spring, we took some time off work and traveled back to Utah to see our friends and family, on our own schedule.
For the past three holiday seasons, we have opted to stay on this side of the country rather than attempt a winter passage to the West.
Still, it’s not as if we spend this time of year alone. Arriving in New York, we have found friends and colleagues who share our interests and we will be joining with them between now and the end of 2012 to celebrate this time of year. On the holidays themselves, we look forward to taking some time away from busy jobs when we can relax on our own. My wife and I no longer cook a turkey on Thanksgiving. Instead we choose some other creation we would like to eat but haven’t found the time to cook.
And as we do so, like families across this country, my mind is turning to the things I am thankful for.
Running the office in Dansville these past few months has been an eye-opening experience. I have learned to appreciate the hard work of our entire office staff. Whether it’s Patty Davy, who is often the voice on the other end of the phone when our readers call, or our sales executives Judy Smith-Cronk and Theresa Derrenbacher, as they meet with business and community leaders, I appreciate what they do in handling the sales side of the business. After spending my entire career in the newsroom, I have also learned that circulation is a much more demanding task than I thought and I am more mindful of the efforts of Lisa Pummell, who oversees a roster of carriers delivering the PenneSaverPlus in the Dansville area, and Keith Witmer at the Tribune office in Hornell, who has taken on the task of handling subscriptions and sales of the Genesee Country Express, in addition to taking care of two much bigger dailies.
In just two more weeks, longtime reporter Jeff Miller will move on to other life pursuits and the Express will lose a strong writer and reporter. He has been an asset to the paper for the last six years and a willing attendee at countless government meetings and community events. I believe I speak for the two editors before me, D.J. Smith and Mayor Peter Vogt, in expressing gratitude for having a reporter who stuck with a job that is often demanding of personal time.
Admittedly I was apprehensive in arriving in New York two years ago, but I have come to appreciate the culture of the East. I have found many friends both in and out of work who have made this a rich experience and I look forward to their continued fellowship.
Finally, my wife Heather deserves more thanks than I can ever extend. She has put up with very late nights and long weekends alone as I have been out covering everything from high school sports to contested elections this year. She pushes me to do my best at my job, even when it costs her some time together. Heather has followed me more than 3,000 miles since my first job as a cub reporter with each career move taking us farther and farther away from our hometowns. The past eight years since we met have been the highlight of my life, each day more meaningful than the last.
No matter how you spend your Thanksgiving, or in whose company you celebrate, I hope you are surrounded by people who care about you and that the entire holiday season is filled with happiness and cheer.
