Once again the holidays are rolling around and I find myself reflecting on the days of my youth when there was a homecoming of family, those that had gone off to make their life away from the small town they grew up in. These times were all day affairs as there was much to catch up on both for adults and the younger cousins.
Thirty two kin and a couple “dates” were the norm for such events so there was plenty of cooking and preparation. I remember how the all day cooking kept the house warm on those chilly times and unbearably hot on days when temps were mild for this time of year.
A large dining room and kitchen table were adequate for a large family but still, we ate in shifts. The men occupied the seats for the first shift, the kids were second and the ladies ate last. The men would retire to the front porch for much story telling and such and the kids would retreat outside for an evening of fun and games. The ladies would package leftovers and take homes, cleaning up from the feast catching up on their own story sharing.
I must note that I wasn’t interested much in the story telling at the time, now that I’m older, I wish I could have been two places at once after hearing some of the stories later as I aged. Still, I have plenty of memories playing flashlight tag and kick the can. Running around a farm in the dark has its share of trills and excitement.
We eventually stopped having those family dinners on the farm. The family outgrew that and the farm was sold shortly after my grandfather passed. We now rent the local Firehall and entertain 70-80 any given year, 76 was last years gathering. Though we have lost some through the years we are out pacing the loss with the new generation.
There are still fun and games for the young ones but I can’t help think that they are missing out on those good times playing on the farm after a big feast when the sun went down.
I do know that as those of us retired will soon speak again of those good times I will be wondering if those “old guys on the porch” back then were reflecting on their “good times”?
