as would be expected ... our holiday celebrations have changed over the years. MANY have been wonderful, most really nice ... none quite as sweet in my heart
, as those we had when we gathered at my mom & dad's house for our traditional Thanksgiving meal. The crowds were large back then, the noise level high, the love immense. Mom would rise long before dawn to prepare the bird, fix a big breakfast to tide us over, & dramatically shoo us from the kitchen throughout the day while she cooked. By mid morning, 6-8 of us would be playing poker to pass the time ... then "shuffle" our chips into cool whip or tupperware bowls when duty called to set the table! Every dish presented to the table was made from scratch ... with decade old recipes. The meal was long, relaxed, & hearty ... sometimes a bit rowdy with home-made dinner rolls being tossed from one end of the table to the other. Mom would chastise us ... but in ernest- I think she enjoyed every bit of it! We would try to get her out of the kitchen during clean up- but she wouldn't have it ... so my sister Bev & I usually assisted by containing the leftovers and wiping down counters. THANK goodness there was a 2nd fridge in the garage 
or we would have been peddling them on the corner! After the food comas faded, the poker game would resume, with mom & dad joining us. Youngin's would wander in & out of the family room & be chased off by their "granny" (even though grampa/dad was sometimes pulling them to his lap for a looksee) As the little ones grew, families relocated .... tradition began to change and the numbers dwindled some. Then one year a health issue kept mom on the down low & one of my sisters prepared the meal at her home. It was lovely (she would have made Martha
Stewart proud) and we all embraced the holiday ... being especially thankful that mom pulled through fine. Since then ... the festivities have moved a couple of times. Family members wander in & out through the day, with work, in-laws, & logistics tugging at the length of the stay. It was still pretty darn great, til 2010, when we lost mom less than a month before Thanksgiving ..... it was more subdued (although yummy as usual). This year? ..... well, this year- the little train that could... stopped in his tracks and I'm thinking it's probably the turn around for many of us. We lost dad in the spring and I can feel the difference in myself. Of course there are schedules & travel & grandkids around the corner of time that are changing the dynamics of the holidays at this end of the calendar. Right now, some of the "zip" is gone, and I'm thinking some new traditions are forming amongst us.
, as those we had when we gathered at my mom & dad's house for our traditional Thanksgiving meal. The crowds were large back then, the noise level high, the love immense. Mom would rise long before dawn to prepare the bird, fix a big breakfast to tide us over, & dramatically shoo us from the kitchen throughout the day while she cooked. By mid morning, 6-8 of us would be playing poker to pass the time ... then "shuffle" our chips into cool whip or tupperware bowls when duty called to set the table! Every dish presented to the table was made from scratch ... with decade old recipes. The meal was long, relaxed, & hearty ... sometimes a bit rowdy with home-made dinner rolls being tossed from one end of the table to the other. Mom would chastise us ... but in ernest- I think she enjoyed every bit of it! We would try to get her out of the kitchen during clean up- but she wouldn't have it ... so my sister Bev & I usually assisted by containing the leftovers and wiping down counters. THANK goodness there was a 2nd fridge in the garage 
or we would have been peddling them on the corner! After the food comas faded, the poker game would resume, with mom & dad joining us. Youngin's would wander in & out of the family room & be chased off by their "granny" (even though grampa/dad was sometimes pulling them to his lap for a looksee) As the little ones grew, families relocated .... tradition began to change and the numbers dwindled some. Then one year a health issue kept mom on the down low & one of my sisters prepared the meal at her home. It was lovely (she would have made Martha 
I suppose this is to be expected ... what with grown-ups who weren't even born when the above mentioned gatherings were the norm. It just feels a little odd at the moment.
BUT- without a doubt or hesitation ... I DO have a great deal to be thankful for... one of them being that I can still hear the laughter of mom & dad during the family times of fall & winter ! I hope they will be with me always ... in the corner of my heart reserved especially for them. HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
BUT- without a doubt or hesitation ... I DO have a great deal to be thankful for... one of them being that I can still hear the laughter of mom & dad during the family times of fall & winter ! I hope they will be with me always ... in the corner of my heart reserved especially for them. HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
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