My Most Memorable Thanksgiving Day
Posted: Tuesday, November 22, 2011
by Dianne Lehmann
Artisan Jewelry from SyZyGy
I'd have to say in all honesty that my most memorable Turkey Day has not yet happened. There isn't a one in particular that comes to mind when I think about it. What I do have is lots and lots of general sorts of memories surrounding the celebration of thanks that happens every last Thursday in November.
My oldest memories are of our family and extended family (mostly on Mom's side, Dad's side lived mainly "back east") getting together. We rotated the location. One year it would be at our house and we would have to provide all the meats (turkey, roast beef and ham) and anything else Mom might feel like fixing. The other relatives would bring all the side dishes. Then next year we would all gather at another family's house. That meant the most sensitive foods (the proteins) didn't have to travel and it also shared out the economic burden.
I remember eating until I thought I would burst. There were Jell-O molds and Waldorf salads, pies of all kinds, green bean casseroles and candied sweet potatoes with mini-marshmallows. Someone would always bring a cake and someone else would bring cookies. Add that all to the pies Mom couldn't help making along with her heavily decorated sugar cookies and you had the makings of a real feast.
Afterward, we kids would go outside and play, while the moms cleaned up the mess and the dads watched football on the television and added beer to their already swollen stomachs. What a life!
After I married Bernd, Thanksgivings became a bit more complicated. While his parents immigrated to the United States from Germany and weren't really into the whole Turkey Day thing, they were still in a bit of a competition for our time with my parents. For the first few years (if we weren't working on Turkey Day … not everything closes you know, especially in retail sales), we had to visit both homes. Later on when we were a little older and wiser, we alternated years. Luckily for us, Bernd's family had always celebrated Christmas on Christmas Eve just after midnight. So we were able to spend Christmas Eve day with his parents and Christmas Day with mine. Of course, Christmas Eve day with his parents meant working in Bernd's dad's fine jewelry store.
There was one Thanksgiving when we both had to work and so we ended up at Denny's for our Thanksgiving dinner. There was also one year when McDonald's got our business on Turkey Day.
Bernd and I have never been fussy about rituals and observances. We open our birthday presents early, that is, when we decide to give one. Same goes for Christmas. Some people make a big deal about rituals; we've just never seen the need. Some people say that such things are what bind us all together and give us common cause and help us invest in common endeavors. I just don't see how all of us stuffing ourselves on the same one day of the year is going to accomplish that. So shoot me.
Anyway, last Friday, I bought a small, fresh, organic turkey (because they didn't have the organic chickens we both prefer, the store having been taken over by turkeys and hams) and prepared it on Sunday. I did the whole thing with sweet potatoes (boiled not candied), stuffing made with brown rice instead of wheat or corn, fresh asparagus and lots of gravy. I baked a healthy apple crisp for dessert. We stuffed ourselves and then instead of going out to play, we took a two-mile walk. There have been quite a few Thanksgiving Day meals of homemade spaghetti sauce with rice pasta, or sautéed salmon, or meatloaf. There have even been a few chicken curries in there as well. This year we will very likely have leftover turkey on Turkey Day. Simple. Easy. I love leftovers.
I don't think it matters what you eat or when you eat it. You could have Thanksgiving in June for all I care. What matters is that we give thanks. And really, when you think about it, that's something we should do every day.
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Top-level comments on this article: (2 total)I just posted a status wondering why there weren't any thanksgiving articles, and then I saw yours, Dianne, so I stand corrected :)
Oh oh, all that food, it made me feel too full just to read about it! We don't celebrate Thanksgiving here, of course, but all those big family gatherings where everybody eats too much have always been a nightmare for me. Probably because everybody tried to enjoy themselves but nobody really did, I think. Well, I didn't. I stopped going ages ago, and it was such a relief.
I love the sound of your giving thanks meal - and especially the bit about going for a walk. Made me feel not so full!Hi Jennifer.
The walk was really nice. Fall in Arizona can be unpredictable. But the weather was perfect. Cool and crisp with just the right amount of wind. Leaves turning colors on the trees and shrubs. Everything gold and red and green. And blue skies with a smattering of puffy white clouds. Heaven!
Thanks for stopping by!
Big hugs,
Dianne
Yes - I think many of us get so wrapped up in the whole feast thing and "enjoying ourselves" that we forget what the day is really about - giving thanks for all we have.
We are having roast this year instead of Turkey - a break from the traditional!Hi Krista.
I think it's good to break from the traditional now and then. Helps us to look at things differently. Also helps to see what we might be ignoring because we've become so accustomed to it.
Hope your roast was delicious!
Hugs,
Dianne
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