Thanksgiving 2016

Thanksgiving is only one week away, believe it or not. I think it's a time to look back over the past year and celebrate what we’re grateful for. One thing I’m most grateful for is my family. We’ve gotten together at Grandma’s house for over 40 years now. The family’s changed over the years with the grandkids getting married and having kids.  Now, even some of the great grandkids are married too. 

Everyone brings something for a potluck of everyone’s favorite foods. Turkey (of course), stuffing, cranberry sauce, both canned and homemade (there an on-going debate in my family as to which is the “real” kind)

Other side dishes include mashed potatoes, an appetizer that always illustrates Aunt Mina’s creativity, rolls, cornbread, fruit salad, veggies, deviled eggs, and several pies.

 

The festivities typically start around noon that day, with people arriving from all over California, where most of my family lives. My folks and I travel from South Carolina to be there. It’s a long way, but always worth it since we only get to see the whole family once a year.

After a large meal, everyone goes for a walk even though it’s getting dark. The cool air and the exercise help counter the effects of the tryptophan in the turkey. At least that’s what I think. When we get back, we’re ready to play games in a friendly competition.

Charades is one of our family traditions each year. We form two teams (guys
vs. girls) and each team comes up with movies, books, songs, and TV shows for someone on the other team to act out without saying anything or making any noises. Everyone has up to three minutes for their team to come up with the right answer. There’s always lots of laughter, teasing, and good-natured competitiveness.  In recent years, we’ve added additional games such as Fish Bowl and a Factoid Game.

Sometimes, we do silly things like trying to hang spoons on our noses and seeing who can hold it the longest. My brother and uncle are good at it. Dad’s gotten even a little more advanced, as you can see in this picture. 

So, how about you?  What does Thanksgiving mean to you?  How do you celebrate the holiday?  Share it here.