Brock family Thanksgivings are not for the faint of heart.
I will preface my blog entry with that bold statement.

For starters, the annual event takes place in the not so tropical climate of Chicago.

Flights are usually delayed, and irritation levels high.

This year, by some crazy alignment of the planets, flights in and out of O’Hare Airport were not held up. Despite the presence of a Midwest storm, and the constant reminders from our astute meteorologist that I was sure to be delayed, I made it in on-time.

Getting to the event, however, and understanding the parameters, is an entirely different story.

It would be fair to say that the Brock family eccentricities are the stuff of legend.

Gathering the whole family at one location, and ensuring that relations remain smooth throughout the weekend, is near impossible. While the former hasn’t been accomplished for some time, the latter was achieved this year with flying colors.

Our Grandmother (Margie) celebrated her 85^th birthday on Thanksgiving Sunday. That meant that not only was Margie in high spirits the whole weekend, but chocolate was absolutely abundant. Abundant.

The event’s hosts, the Chicago Brocks (My Uncle Robby- zany, deadpan, and the best person to be sitting next to at a dinner table; Aunt Belinda- warm and gracious; and Cousins Laura and Max-sweet to the point that everyone else seems mean by comparison) made sure to procure the most chocolate-laden cake in Chicago for the occasion.

The work of art contained 85 candles, all made up of white and dark chocolate.

Below is a picture of the cake, followed by a shocked Grandma Margie and my sister Annie (a rising superstar in the field of environmental law), and finally a shot of yours truly with my cousin Max.

Max is smiling for a different reason- he just started his freshman year of college. Who wouldn’t be smiling?

The weekend was capped off with a high-stakes game of scrabble, where Laura officially anointed herself the board game’s “Champ,” a birthday dinner at Highland Park’s favorite restaurant, the Next Door Bistro, and some quality time with Grandma Margie.

 No family is perfect. They all have their flaws, squabbles, and hard times.

But at the end of the day, you have to be thankful, first and foremost, for family.