"This coming Thursday is Thanksgiving. It seems both far too soon and yet forever since our last turkey day. We have all been through hell and back since the last time we gathered around the table with friends and family to give thanks while trying to restrain the urge to throttle that relative who is a pain in the ass every holiday."
"This year my family will have a slightly smaller gathering. A couple family members work in healthcare and will be on duty. My kids didn't experience this growing up as neither my spouse nor I have had careers obligating us to forfeit holidays with family. I do remember expecting my mom would not be home on one of the holidays, either Thanksgiving or Christmas, alternating each year because she was a nurse working second or third shift at the local hospital."
"My youngest has been working in pharmaceutical manufacturing as I've mentioned in a previous holiday post; large chemical plants including pharma producers don't shut down though they may reduce production. This year the youngest is working in a different field of pharma so they'll be able to join us. But they now have a significant other who works for a hospital dispensing pharma products, and they won't be able to join us."
Thanksgiving arrives amid lingering disruptions from the past year, and family gatherings are smaller as some members work in healthcare or essential manufacturing. Nurses, hospital staff, and pharmaceutical workers often must remain on duty, while large chemical and pharma plants continue operating with reduced production. One child can join because of a different pharma role, while their partner's hospital duties prevent attendance. First responders and invisible support staff keep healthcare and manufacturing running during holidays. Younger family members are taking on more holiday preparation and will inherit the family's recipes as the family undergoes a generational transition following recent losses.
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