notesbynora

(Feel free to laugh. My children already have.)

Every family has their traditions. Some bake pies… Some watch football…
And I?  Well, I proudly put a 7-foot inflatable turkey in my front yard every Thanksgiving.

To the complete horror of my children.

Every year that turkey stood tall and proud — until one November when I couldn’t find him anywhere. I searched closets, the garage, the attic… and all the while my kids were “helping,” which looked suspiciously like standing still and praying the turkey had retired permanently.

I kept saying, “Look in the shed!”  “Check the basement storage closet!”  And my teenagers kept replying, “Hmm… nope… don’t see it,” with about as much enthusiasm as you’d expect.

I always put it in the same place every year after Thanksgiving. But mysteriously… the turkey had vanished.

So, as Thanksgiving approached, I resigned myself to buying a new one. Except… have you priced inflatable turkeys lately? Let’s just say inflation has hit the inflatables, too.

Then one day — like manna from heaven — I spotted the turkey at Goodwill. My turkey. THE turkey. The exact one.

I was ecstatic. Practically emotional. Goodwill even had the original box with it.

And on the back, written in Sharpie, clear as day: ALMAZAN.

My loving children had donated my turkey. To Goodwill. For $3.99.

So… I bought my own turkey back. I carried him home with dignity. Blew him up in the yard.
And when my teenagers asked where I found it, I said, “Oh, in the attic.”

And they all nodded. Not. One. Word.

Years later, after faithfully guarding my front yard, my turkey took his last inflatable breath and ascended to wherever giant yard turkeys go to rest.

But every Thanksgiving, when I see holiday decorations popping up everywhere, I remember him fondly…

My Goodwill turkey. My resurrected yard decoration. My $3.99 Thanksgiving miracle.

Hope your Thanksgiving is full of laughter, love, and maybe… just maybe… a giant inflatable turkey.