Thursday, December 2, 2010

Here comes the holi-daze! Pt. 1- Thankskegging!

Most of us grow up spending the holidays with our families. We all have different traditions- go to grandma's house, family comes to your house or you rotate holidays (like my family). You may see only one side of your family on a given holiday or you may see both. You may combine both sides or do 2 celebrations. Whatever the traditions are, they are your own.

At some point- usually in your 20's- all that changes. You start dating and suddenly the holidays become a conversation. Are you celebrating together? Are you going to both families or just one? Are we hosting? The more family- the more complicated it gets. Start having babies and you've got a whole other discussion!

But you create new traditions. Traditions that are yours alone. Those traditions can involved family and friends. And though people you love move away, get married and have kids- the holidays always seem to draw us together.

Seven years ago, Chris and his friends created their own holiday tradition. Thankskegging. The Aces decided in 2004 that it made sense to have a kegger on Thanksgiving weekend because everyone was home! Between Tom's food and the flowing beers- this was tradition that was bound for success. Since then it has become the cornerstone event of the Aces social calendar. I was brought into the fold in 2005. What do I remember of that first Thankskegging? I remember arriving at 10pm- just as the keg ran out. Sober Sara to the rescue! Megan, JT and I went to Giant Eagle and purchased 9 cases of Natty Light. I was 21 and it was the most beer I had ever purchased.

In the years since, a lot has changed. The Aces have moved more times then I can count. 4/6 are married. 1/6 has kids! Yet, Thankskegging lives on. The crowd is always changing. One year there were 5 aces present- one year only 4. Some years the party goes on late into the night. Some years it clears out early. One year my mother-in-law (before she was my MIL) did a keg stand and a beer bong in the same night!

This year was a rarety. All 6 Aces came together. It was as if time and distance and the complications of life didn't exist. It was just fun. So much fun you would have thought we were college kids instead of adults with families and jobs. But as adults with families and jobs, we appreciate nights like this so much more. The more life intervenes, the less these nights happen and the more special they are. It makes me smile and it makes me appreciate having such amazing friends.
Things I'll remember most from this year? The # of people who used the term "outdrink the drunk" and the fact that Jill and Susan- the moms of the group- were still at it when the party was closing down at 2am! Pure awesome!
5/6 Aces ladies (-Summer)...
The Aces!...


1 comment:

Beth said...

looks like a lot of fun!!!