Due to the distance to Lauren's uncle's house we did not attend Thanksgiving with my family, at my mom's, which was the tradition. We stayed in a hotel Thanksgiving night, which made Max, Wyatt and Jackson happy. The hotel had an indoor pool which we used both before we went to bed and when we first woke up the next morning. If I were to ask the kids what their favorite part of Thanksgiving was they would definitely say the pool. I would say the pickles.
Lauren received a text that Friday morning from our neighbor with a picture of our house. The text read something like "Who did you piss off?"
"Who would toilet paper our house?" Lauren asked.
"Who do you think?" I asked back. "It had to be my brothers. We did not attend Thanksgiving at mom's. They knew we were away. I would kind of expect it."
"Really?"
"Yes. It is like the perfect opportunity. I would almost be disappointed if they did not do something."
After we arrived home and cleaned up the mischief, which also included my car being wrapped with plastic wrap. I made a few calls to investigate who I needed to plot my revenge against.
I found out that I was not the only target of the TP. Apparently it started the night before Thanksgiving, with some late night prank phone calls. Traditionally our family plays a football game early Thanksgiving morning. My brothers Dan and Kevin, the two brothers who live the farthest away, and their families traditionally stay overnight at my other brother's homes to be able to make the game. Dan stays with John. Kevin stays with Jim.
Jim and Kevin thought it was funny to crank call Dan and John. Dan decided he would wake up early and take John's two sons with him to TP Jim's house. Jim and Kevin, in retaliation, took a car load of kids, 6 rolls of toilet paper and some plastic wrap to John's house. From there it became a free for all. The mischief crew then went to every other siblings house to give them the Toilet Paper treatment. My house was part of the Thanksgiving day fun.
While Kevin was standing outside Jim's house, one of Jim's neighbors shouted across the street.
"What's with the toilet paper?" he asked. "Is that some kind of tradition."
Kevin looked up at the big toilet paper covered tree, white streamers blowing in every direction,and without missing a beat replied.
"I think it is now."
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8 comments:
Tradition:
A mode of thought or behavior followed by a people continuously from generation to generation; a custom or usage.
A set of such customs and usages viewed as a coherent body of precedents influencing the present: followed family tradition in dress and manners.
Pass the TP please.
For Sue, it is not a holiday without pickles. I'm not sure if different holidays call for different pickles, but I know Thanksgiving requires sweet pickles. For me, it's black olives. The jumbo pitted ones that you can put on your fingers and pretend like you have a black manicure. Not that I would ever do that at a holiday dinner. That would be gauche.
what families will do in the name of tradition. Can't wait to see next year.
TPing is so much better than some family traditions - like getting drunk before dinner and having screaming matches. Just saying.
WHen my grandmother was alive, a holiday was not a holiday if she didn't put out the white bowl with the jumbo pitted black olives. No holiday passed without those olives. Now my aunt has the white bowl and the poor olives don't seem nearly as appealing in any other dish.
Always enjoy reading your posts and experiences Bill!
Ah, if only my brothers didn't live so far away...
great new tradition! my in-laws are from bah-sten so they have no clue that you must have several kinds of pickles and olives at every holiday. i always have to bring them.
Traditioooon, tradition
(Fiddler on the Roof soundtrack playing in the background)
What a lovely tradition. I hope it lasts and lasts--so you can participate next time...adding in special bits like saran wrapping the toilet seat...so precious...
:)
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