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| Thanksgiving 2008 |
It's
getting closer. The anticipation is building. Soon, the smell of turkey
roasting in the oven, along with dressing and pies, will fill millions
of homes all over the United States.
As far back as I
can remember, I woke up with these same distinctive aromas wafting past
my nose, as well as the sound of Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade coming
from the family room TV. No one was necessarily watching it, but it was
on all the same. Sleeping late meant no school, and if we were lucky, it
would snow hard enough over the weekend to justify calling for a snow day, giving us a few extra days off.
One
of my favorite things to do was look through the Sears Christmas Wish
Book, circling items for my gift list. This would not be complete
without holiday music in the background. Dad had a reel-to reel tape
deck in which he had recorded Christmas songs from the radio. These same
tapes were played year after year and each time, the familiar
renditions would add another layer of memories. If we begged Dad long
enough, he might even get the decorations out of the garage. When the
ornaments were unpacked, I would gaze at my favorites, as if I were
looking at them for the very first time.
No matter how hard we planned, it seemed Tom Turkey made his golden
debut around 2:00Pm. The table was set by my sisters and I,
everything in its place. Often times, I was given the job of making
place cards . . . home made, of course. As the family grew larger and
larger, this task took longer and longer. On occasion, we had a special
guest join us for dinner . . . someone who needed a home for the
holiday.
Then came the long-awaited two words,
"Dinner's ready!" Just when we thought it was time to eat, my parents
would gather us in a circle and while holding hands, we would take a
few minutes to go around, one at a time, telling what we were thankful for.
Although my stomach was empty, my heart was full of the many blessings
God gave us as a family. I was overflowing with gratitude.
But
that wasn't all that overflowed. When the prayer was over, the
abundance of blessings on the table overflowed my plate. Here is what my
plate looked like: a few slices of Mom's perfect turkey next to her
AMAZING giblet stuffing (a double portion at least,) then corn, green
bean casserole, home made mashed potato's and gravy, along with two
cranberry sauces and possibly a roll.
Since the days of my childhood, Thanksgiving traditions continue. When my oldest son married, the North
finally met the South and we now have the addition of Sweet Potato
Casserole, courtesy of my daughter-in-law, Angela.
All's
well that ends well, especially when there's Apple,
Chocolate Pecan, and Pumpkin Pie to pick from. (Don't forget
the whipped Cream.)
After the last dish is washed, the
women folk take their traditional walk in the neighborhood to ease the
pain of overeating or maybe just get out of the kitchen. Yet, there is
one last important ingredient left to mention.
When I
was a child, we went as a family to view the Christmas window display at
a popular department store in the town where I grew up. To carry on
this
tradition,
we now go to Kuhn Flowers on Thanksgiving night, to see their widows.
Although someone in my family always feels the need to express
disapproval to this long standing ritual, they graciously appease me by
honoring my request. (Come join us!)
As the years go by, family
dynamics shift and change. Some go out of town to join their spouses family, while others may not be able to make it home. Yet our numbers are increasing due to the new grand babies we have been blessed with.
No matter who fills the chairs or what fills our plates, Thanksgiving traditions remain strong. On occasion, we may even try creative variations just for the sake of variety. But after it's all said and done, we are creatures of habit and prefer to do it the ways it's always been done.
Question of the Week? What elements of Thanksgiving do you refuse to change?
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