[Magdalen] Thanksgivings Past.

[Grace Cangialosi]

David, your description of the Thanksgivng decorations at church made me smile at a more recent memory. The mountain church where I was vicar for 9years had a similar custom of decorating with gourds, Indian corn, etc. for the Thanksgiving Eve service. Decorations were placed across the stone re redid at the back of the stone altar and along the communion rail. Since the woman who did it worked so hard at it, I let it all remain through Sunday, even though the colors clashed a bit with the Advent hangings! 
One year I came in on Sunday morning to discover that mice had eaten most of the Indian corn, leaving neat cobs right where they had been and a scattering of kernels on the altar! It only happened that one year, for some reason...

> On Nov 27, 2014, at 2:53 PM, Cantor03--- via Magdalen <magdalen at herberthouse.org> wrote:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I was remembering this morning so many Thanksgivings from the past.
> 
> For so many years in West Central Wisconsin, I would do the three  piece
> suit and go down to the traditional Choral Eucharist at the local Christ  
> Church
> Cathedral at 10 AM.  They had developed a tradition of decorating  the
> high altar with colorful gourds, pumpkins, corn, apples, grapes, etc. -  the
> produce of the autumn harvest.  This could be trite, but it was  actually
> really well done.  Even the high altar Tabernacle (front and center  where
> a Tabernacle should be!) was banked with this decor.
> 
> Then I remember the 8 Thanksgivings I spent with my Aunt Helen in
> Chicago, and the fun of taking the Badger Bus to the North Shore RR
> Terminal in Milwaukee, and thence down to Howard Street and on foot
> over to Ashland just at the city limits.  Thanksgiving dinner was at  my
> Aunt Nora's in Monee, just at the Indiana line, and via the "IC", the
> Illinois Central Railway - another fun excursion.
> 
> Then the Black Friday in the Loop and riding the packed escalators
> in Marshall Field's and taking in the wonderful windows of the main
> store on State Street.  Aunt Helen had to work at the Lee  Gilbert
> Jewelry store on South Michigan Ave., so I was on my own.
> 
> The Sunday for me was initially at the grand First Methodist Church
> in Evanston, and then eventually at the cavernous Saint Luke's
> Episcopal in that City.
> 
> Such fond memories.
> 
> 
> David Strang - who wouldn't be able to dress up in a three piece suit  if
>                      I  wanted to at this time.