Thanksgiving has always been my father’s favorite holiday as much for what it isn’t as for what it is.
He loves that there are no gifts, no Madison Avenue commercialization (or at least less than for most American holidays), no Mom running up the credit card balances.
He believes Thanksgiving comprises all that any holiday needs: a nice meal with the family, maybe some touch football on the front lawn, and a paper-plate dinner of homemade leftovers, followed by a game or two of Scrabble.
He is a man of simple tastes. Not the kind of fellow most authors would make the hero of a romance novel.
As for Thanksgiving, well, that’s another story.
Thanksgiving may well be the perfect backdrop for a romance novel, the ideal setting to figure out if that special someone is actually “The One” — if only because it provides a chance to see how they get along with the extended family, including your crazy Uncle Fred or your ne’er do well younger brother who dreams of being a rap star. Do they think your family traditions are corny? Or do they join in when everyone takes a turn at the Thanksgiving meal to share what they are grateful for in 2016? Yes, seeing your significant other on your home turf can quickly make it clear whether or not you see them becoming part of the family.
Author Marie Ferrarella explored just that dynamic in A Small Town Thanksgiving, Book 8 in her Forever, Texas Series. Ghostwriter Samantha Monroe finds the warm Thanksgiving welcome of the Rodriguez clan has awakened her yearning to be part of a family. Eldest son Mike Rodriguez hired Sam to preserve his great-great-great-grandmother’s story for future generations, but over pumpkin pie and cranberry sauce the quiet rancher comes to realize his future holidays wouldn’t be complete without Sam as part of his family’s story.
Do you remember the first time you brought a special person home for Thanksgiving? How did it go? And what advice would you give someone contemplating doing so this week?
—Jeanne Devlin