Every year, the turkeys come back.
Like the handful of swallows that still return to San Juan Capistrano each spring, each fall our family’s pair of turkey salt-and-pepper shakers appear, perching on the pass-through between our kitchen and dining room, radiating autumn vibes.
They appear because, every year, we dig them out of a box in our crawlspace. Each is about the size of a baseball. We’ve never put salt or pepper in them (so you could say they’re flightless and flavorless birds). Instead, ever since our friend Mary gave them to us about 20 years ago, we use them as a sign of the season, a symbol like the leafy wreath on the front door and the little pumpkins that my wife deposits here and there.
Not every family brings out special tokens to mark the seasons, I know, but in many households, this is a time-honored ritual. Often, these traditions reach far beyond symbols of faith like Christmas trees and Hanukkah menorahs, and can be traced back to a treasured friend or a relative.
Anyway, we want to see what you’ve got. In the form below, share a photo of a beloved item that you hide for most of the time but bring back for a spell every year, whether for a holiday season or something else. We may feature your photos and stories in an upcoming article.
