Please pass another serving of family…please!

Please pass another serving of family…please!

I love Thanksgiving! It’s my favorite holiday as it’s a time for family, friends, food and fun.   For many families, this holiday serves as the annual gathering time where grandchildren cuddle up to their grandparents, while the smell of turkey permeates the living areas. It’s a day when cousins catch up on each other’s lives and wish they lived closer so they didn’t have to wait another year before getting together again. Moms scurry around the kitchen carefully preparing the special dishes using cherished family recipes while the dads sit in front of the tv watching one of a few football games being broadcasted on this special day.

I have to admit that many of my Thanksgiving memories were very similar to those previously sited. The main difference, however, was that I was lucky enough to live fairly close to all of my cousins so our family gatherings were more frequent than once a year. Both my mom’s and dad’s families lived within an hour of our house, so whether we did the traveling or the cousins did, all participants dressed in their Sunday best, still looked great upon arrival. As soon as the first guests arrived, the house was always full of a lot of activity, noise and delicious, scrumptious smells and the only drink that was brewed was a pot of Folgers. Each year was a bit different and those celebrating could range from 15-30 depending on the location and circumstances.

After getting married and moving 500 miles from Southern California, my husband and I spent Thanksgiving with a cousin and his young family in southern Oregon and the next year was spent with my uncle and his wife in Northern California, as the distance was much shorter than a trip back to San Diego. For the next 35 years, which included moving back to Southern California and then on to Northern Nevada, my Thanksgiving celebrations were spent at my mom and dad’s, my dear mother-in-law’s, or at our own house in Nevada. Sometime during the busy day, siblings, cousins and friends would gather in the backyard for a fun game of football or wiffle ball. Thank goodness no major injuries were incurred during these activities, as there were certainly plenty of opportunities for participants to try get even for a past offense or infraction by one of the other players.

Over the years when the festivities were held at my mom and dad’s house, my mom always planned on an extra 5-10 people that my brother had invited. My brother is a professor at a Southern California university and many of the people he worked with were from foreign countries, and with time constraints, were unable to travel back home for the holiday. I have shared turkey with people from Italy, Israel, Africa, China, Japan, and Canada and sharing stories of their lives, families and cultural traditions were the focal point of our gatherings. Although my mom and dad loved it when only our immediate family gathered together, there was never a time when the door was closed at Thanksgiving. My parents were extremely gracious and giving and opened their houses to all who entered

.

For the past four years I have shared Thanksgiving at two of my sons’ and daughter-in-law’s house, not far from where we live now in Southern Texas. They have graciously opened their doors over the years to friends who would have spent the holiday alone or those whose families were many miles away. The majority of the food is lovingly prepared by Katie, again using recipes handed down by her family.   She is a terrific cook/baker and anyone who leaves their house hungry at the end of the day, it’s their own fault! Coffee may be brewed as we eat our dessert but other brewed drinks will be consumed throughout this holiday. The overall atmosphere is less formal than 40 Thanksgivings ago and I don’t believe a special shopping trip to buy a new outfit for this day occurred, but what’s the purpose of this day? It shouldn’t matter what outfit is worn or what is being served, but the presence of special people in our lives. I know that I will be surrounded by family, great friends and wonderful memories will be made on this special day.

I hope all of you have a memorable day this Thanksgiving and take time during the busy festivities to give thanks for all you have.

 

                                                                        Until next time,

                                                                        Judy