The Thanksgiving Table
“It’s the most wonderful time of the year!” Ok, generally you think of Christmas with this song, but for me, Thanksgiving ushers in the Christmas season. All the seasonal recipes start coming out and the smells of Christmas are beginning to fill your home. Families and friends gather for a Thanksgiving meal without the worry of gift-giving. I’ve even started putting up a Thanksgiving tree. So, after Thanksgiving dinner, we watch “Elf” and take the Fall decorations off the tree and put on the Christmas ornaments!
I have always loved Thanksgiving. For many years, my family would travel to my parent’s home for Thanksgiving and spend it with my side of the family. We spent the week with all three of my siblings and their families staying in their home. As the years passed, it was crazy and busy with over 20 people there as our families grew. Kids were in and out of the house all day. One year, a neighbor came over and kids were just going past him out the door one by one. He said, “How many kids are in there?” I still laugh at his wonder and amazement that we were all surviving in one house!
There was never a dull moment and always someone in the kitchen making something.
One of my favorite things was hearing all the chatter and conversations happening all around the house. There was never a dull moment and always someone in the kitchen making something. The day before Thanksgiving was our prep day. It was the day when one hour the smell of butter, onions and celery for the stuffing filled the house, then the smell of pies baking! I loved being in the kitchen with everyone, bumping into each other and waiting for the stove or sink or to get in the fridge. It was just lovely chaos!
Then Thanksgiving day arrived and it was like getting ready for a show and the schedule needed to be precise to get every item cooked, warmed and ready for the 3:00 performance! The aromas of the turkey cooking filled the house and the anticipation of the meal brought a continual flow of traffic through the kitchen. The display of food was always a beautiful sight and the filled plates were masterpieces. Mission accomplished!
It was our week to be together, so we made the most of it!
We stayed up late every night, laughed, made up a game with a ping pong ball and a solo cup and played many rounds of the Name Game. It was our week to be together, so we made the most of it! And, of course, the cousins were making their forts, playing games, watching movies and falling asleep on the floor like sardines.
Now, as our children are getting older and some are getting married, we are creating our own traditions. I had a hard time coming to terms with this new reality. One year as Thanksgiving approached, it really hit me that the dynamics and landscape were changing. I cried a lot that day realizing the Thanksgivings together as young parents were becoming the past. We get together in the summer now, but those years will forever hold a special place in my heart.
I created this Thanksgiving table setting paper art as a tribute to those Thanksgivings as a young parent with my siblings. And it is a reminder that I am creating new and wonderful memories and traditions with my children and grandchildren. I am so very grateful for my past and present!
Happy Thanksgiving!
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