Family Time at Thanksgiving is Special

by Judy Yoder
(Wooster, Ohio, USA)

Thanksgiving to my family has always included the WHOLE family.

Most of my family would drive or fly out to be at Thanksgiving dinner. I have very fond memories of our yearly family get together.

My grandmother's birthday and anniversary is right around Thanksgiving, so we would often surprise her with gifts while we were all there.

Traditionally the women would cook the dinner while our favorite football team would be on the T.V. Although these last couple of years my step-dad has made us the most wonderful sweet potatoes for our family.

I think everyone in my family can agree, he may be very quiet, but he can cook!

Generally the family will be playing games and talking with one another while my mom, two sisters and I would tend to the turkey as we usually had the family thanksgiving get together at our house.

When the time came for us all to sit down and eat, my grandfather would be sitting at the head of the many tables lined up, with my grandfather and their little dog, Lady, at their side.

He starts with a family blessing and prayer, then carves the turkey. After carving plates of turkey we would move around the table while family members would be filling them with mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, gravy, green bean casserole, dinner rolls, cranberry sauce, and so on.

We eat and enjoy each others company, talk about the many other Thanksgiving's we have had and what we are thankful for this year.

We would catch up on each others lives and talk about the next time we would be getting together again.

After dinner, there was pie. lots and lots of homemade pies. There would be cherry, apple, banana cream, coconut cream, mince meat (our grandmothers favorite!) and of course, everyone's beloved pumpkin pie! Thanksgiving just would not be the same without our pumkpin pie!

When everyone is done eating traditionally the kids would go play, the men would do the dishes and the women would sit and enjoy talking with each other.

When the dishes were done everyone would come to the dining room for games of all kinds. Eventually when it got late everyone would say there goodbyes and head home or to their hotels.

With hugs and smiles, they would bid farewell and say how they cannot wait until next years Thanksgiving. I love thanksgiving, and I cannot wait until this years to see my whole family again!

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