Winds of Change

Today begins my favorite week of the semester. Thanksgiving week brings a flood of family and festivities to the campus. My students often bring visiting family members to class. I love to meet the families of my students, to see the resemblance, to observe the similar mannerisms and generally get a better idea of where my students come from. It's also fun when their visit lands on a day in which their child is performing in my class.
This Tuesday evening is the campus Christmas Lights concert. Due to the lack of space after Thanksgiving, the concert is held before Thanksgiving, but no one really minds. The concert is held outdoors and is composed of mostly Christmas songs stringed together with an ongoing skit. (Nick was in the skit one year, and I, for one, thought he was hilarious.) At the conclusion of the program all of the Christmas lights around campus come on for the first time. From then on, they come on each evening until Christmas break and really adorn the campus beautifully. The concert serves to kick off the holiday activities and is so well attended, people have learned to set up and save spots hours in advance.
On Thanksgiving day we attend a praise service at the church in the morning. Nick is performing a short speech piece in the service this year, and I am helping the younger performers with their costumes. In the afternoon, the college holds the celebrated Turkey Bowl -- a playoff between the semester's reining collegiate soccer teams. It's a pretty big deal to the students and is generally enjoyed by visitors as well. On Thursday, Friday, and Saturday the college presents its second Fine Arts series of the semester, a college-produced play -- this year, "The Pirates of Penzance." Nick runs sound for the production and is off tonight working the rehearsal. He actually takes turns with a coworker, so we will attend the play Friday night.
So that is a small description of what goes on around here for Thanksgiving. You can already feel the electricity in the air of excited students. As workers set up for the various programs, they leave visible reminders all over campus of the fun to come.
As a busy teacher, I was almost caught off guard by the arrival of the holidays. Although I allowed myself this evening to put in the first Christmas cd of the season (Bing Crosby, anyone?), I have completed no decorating around the apartment. My house is devoid of all holiday signs, save a few small decorative pumpkins, and a little blue ball ornament I came across today and hung from our dining room light fixture. Not the most aesthetic placement of the ornament, I admit. It was an impulse, but the ball remains to this hour. The lack of garland, ribbons and nativity does not discourage me, however. I have yet to build up my store of Christmas decorations. One year at a time.... Until then, I am quite happy with my little group of candles burning on the coffee table. "Coffee"..... Hm. I have decided that this a perfect time for a cup of joe.
Happy Thanksgiving one and all!

~Teri