http://flakphoto.com/photo/frances-f-denny-sisters-home-for-thanksgiving?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+FlakPhoto+%28Flak+Photo%29&utm_content=Google+Reader#When:14:37:51Z
When I clicked on the link for this photograph, I expected to see a big family around a big table with a big thanksgiving dinner and turkey, everyone smiling and happy and feasting until their stomachs are stretched to maximum capacity. However, the reality is quite different. There are only two people, sisters sitting among a pale aqua color scheme. There's no food, no dining table, and no smiling faces. In fact, they don't look particularly happy to be home.
Real families are much more complicated than the stereotypical image of them, and holidays celebrations are not always as big a deal as they are made out to be. I vaguely remember hearing that depression rates rise during Christmas because of the discrepancy between how happy and joyous culture says we should be during the holidays and the cold hard reality of how people are really feeling. Something similar is probably true for Thanksgiving, although perhaps not as intense. Throughout life many people accrue interpersonal baggage with family members, and the holidays can force them to get together. On the other hand, large family reunions can be a gathering of strangers that you also happen to be related to. Anyway, the holidays are not always pleasant.
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