Pre-Thanksgiving - Childhood Memories

As I child I remembered the Holidays being a special time for Family get-togethers.  It was such a joyous occasion.  I could not wait to see cousins I have not seen in a year; the delicious aroma of the food cooking in my mother's kitchen or my aunts' house; the drive to see relatives with anticipation; the music playing so loudly you can hear it down the halls; and the sweet sound of children laughing.  Long time since those days of anticipation to see Family - relatives, cousins, aunts or just an old family friend.  Now the sentiment is more like anxiety of not being bothered with that nosy aunt, drunk uncle, or obnoxious cousin - always bragging about something as they have "arrived."
As we got older and our parents divorced, the Holidays never seem the same.  The relatives and cousins gave us a "pity" look.  We were fine with the divorce but the aunts seem to act concerned.  Never any words of encouragement but a sympathetic look that actually looked pathetic.  Oddly enough, the cousins whom never had a two-parent household - sarcastically had that "welcome to my world" facial expression.  We were already teenagers by then, so at that point we would tell one side of the family we would be with the other side of the family & vice-versa.  While our parents were spending time with their new dates, we would spend time with our friends' family or have friends come over that were in a similar situation.  Excitingly,  that worked well for years!  There were no false pretenses, no strange looks, no awful comments from cousins - just us being ourselves and not having to answer anyone.
Fast forward to the future - as we became older and became parents ourselves, we spent most of our Holidays with our own families at home.  Sometimes we would all come together with our siblings, children, and perhaps in-laws.  At times it would be fun, and at times it would seem like a lot of work!

Presently, my sister has past;  my aunt (mother's sister) relocated with her family to FL;  my other aunt (father's sister) has also passed - & her adult children spend it among themselves;  my father's other sister spends the Holiday with her daughter in FL as well;  my father's oldest brother has also relocated to FL to be with his adult children;  my father's youngest brother - when he does not fly to visit his estranged wife in FL, stays in NY with his buddies;  and I'm okay with it.
I spend the Holidays with whom I enjoy to be around - my children, my divorced parents of 30 years, my wonderful nephew (sister's son) and my baby daddy (whom I have known for over 20 years).  Long gone are those first childhood memories but memories I am making for my sons...