Favorite Thanksgiving Memories

[joyful]

What are your favorite memories of Thanksgiving?

My parents owned a hunting camp, so when my kids were growing up we all would go out to camp for Thanksgiving. A huge table tht was too big for any conventional tablecloth was filled with food. Many gathered around, aunts; uncles; cousins; my parents; my husband and myself with our children.

The cookstove provided the heat. Desserts were made at home then brought to camp.
If you spent the night you woke up to the smell of coffee brewing and pancakes being served.

After the meal, the men would go outside and sight in their hunting rifles. Some might hunt for what was in season (Buck season never opens until the following Monday). Then
the men would remain at camp for the first day of Buck and the women would go home and shop. I would go home and put up my tree.

Kids would go outside to play in the snow or go for walks, depending on the weather.

I'm so glad my kids have these memories. My parents sold the camp when it got to be too much for them to take care of in their later years. They loved the camp. They would go out there during the winter months and snowmobile with other camp owners until the wee hours of the morning since they were so far out that the noise would not bother others.

When I was a child Thanksgiving would be held at my g-g grandmother's house with my Mother's side of the family. We have home movies of some gatherings and it's great to see the dear faces that we love. Then after the meal, everyone's name was put into a bowl and names were drawn for Christmas presents which was kept a secret until Christmas, you did not know who had your name so it was a nice surprise when you received the gift.

 

[MerryCarey]

My Thanksgiving memories are rather unusual. We didn't have the big family gathering with a big turkey dinner, because Thanksgiving morning was when my parents made the fruitcakes for Christmas. The cakes needed a few weeks in the refrigerator to mellow and mature, so they had to be made in advance. (Unlike the stereotypical fruitcake, friends and neighbors used to beg my parents to make some for them; I recall various people reminding my parents to save them half a cake.) This was a large undertaking. I can see my dad mixing the cake batter in a huge roaster, because a mixing bowl was too small.

To keep us out of the way, my brother and I were sent next door to my grandparents in the morning. This was a treat, because I could watch the Macy's parade in color! At the end of the parade, my grandmother made us lunch (I recall home-cured country ham sandwiches and orange soda) and sent me back home. My brother would stay to watch football with my grandfather. When I was old enough to have my own record player (I'm showing my age here), I'd play Christmas music as soon as I got to my room. I couldn't wait for the Christmas season to begin.

 

[Christmas-A-Holic]

Very nice memory Joyful! It sounds fun to be there.

My best memories were after I had both my kids and they were younger, they are now 23 and 19 years old. Anyway, I told my grandma that I missed not spending the night with her like I did when I was a little kid and asked if we could spend Thanksgiving week with her and I will prepare the whole Thanksgiving meal for family to come over. She only lived 5 miles from me but I wanted a little get away from the apartments I helped manage because residents always knocked on our door no matter if it's a holiday or not to complain about something, lol. She was very excited about that and I would come over either Monday or Tuesday before Thanksgiving and first day was visiting and then my daughter and I would get busy in the kitchen preparing foods. We had A LOT of family come over and it was so fun! We made this a tradition year after year.

Then 6 years ago in October my grandmother had a heart attack. The morning she went into surgery she said, "we have to get together for Thanksgiving again". I told her, "we will grandma"! That was the last conversation we had. She never recovered and unable to talk and passed away a few weeks later.

It makes me sad, I really miss those Thanksgivings we had together. That year, Thanksgiving was spent at a cafeteria with just a few people. Everyone went their separate ways and it was like that for several years. I was determined to get back to what was once my favorite time of year and Thanksgiving is now full of family again. Grandma would have wanted it that way!

 

[bigbearfla58]

My Fondest Thanksgiving Memory

ilgrim:




My fondest Thanksgiving memory comes from Thanksgiving of 1985. The entire family, aunts, uncle’s cousins, even some relatives from out of town was coming in just for Thanksgiving. My grandmother let me buy the turkey that year. Since so many people were coming I purchased a twenty pound bird. When I came to her house with this turkey she told me flat out “you are going to make the double batch of our stuffing and roast that monster” I felt like I was having a heart attack until she gave me a hug and said “I’ll help you make the dinner but, you’re going to roast that turkey.” Starting on Thanksgiving Monday my Grandmother and I got to work preparing all of our family recipes. I had never seen so much food. The ice box was full. There wasn’t room for even one extra cranberry. We were worn out but we got everything made. Thanksgiving Day dawned and it was time to pre-heat the oven and put the turkey in. I went over to Grandmother’s early and she watched while I prepared the turkey for the oven. I put the turkey in the oven, set the timer and went to watch Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. During the parade I kept wondering why I couldn’t smell the turkey from the kitchen. Two hours later I went back to baste the turkey and discovered that I had forgotten to turn on the oven! Once again, major heart attack! I told my Grandmother what happed. She smiled and just told me to turn the oven on and to get on the phone and tell everyone to come at 5:00 p.m. instead of 2:00 p.m. This would allow the turkey to roast and gave us time to make last minute side dishes. Having to call all of your relatives on Thanksgiving Day and tell them you forgot to turn on the oven was very embarrassing. Several of my cousins still talk about it to this very day. Needles to say the turkey got roasted and the meal was a huge success. I think it took us maybe 10 minutes, if that, to inhale, all the food that had taken us over a week to prepare. This would prove to be one of the last Thanksgivings I would spend with my Grandmother, Aunt and Uncle as all three of them died a few years later. I am now the guardian of my families Thanksgiving traditions, recipes and turkey roasting tips that I share with no one. I know that she is watching over me so I keep her picture in the kitchen so she can always watch me cook Thanksgiving dinner.

 

[joyful]

bigbear, you made me smile when I read that you keep your Grandmother's picture in the kitchen. I had my g-grandmother's picture in the kitchen to remind me what a joy it is to be able to wash and dry dishes. My g-grandmother would sit and dry the dishes when she was well into her 80's. She fed many people over the years, even hobo's that came over from the railroad yards (she would bring a plate outside to them). A beautiful, giving loving lady and I was privlege to be close to her until she died when I was 18 yrs. old.

Thank to everyone who has replied, I have enjoyed reading your stories. It shows that Thanksgiving is an important holiday for family and love.

 

[Santa's Helper]

I think my favorite Thanksgiving memory was of the huge dinner that my mom made for 28 people. She decided to invite everyone over to our house for a big dinner because my Aunt had been in a rehab center trying to recover from a stroke and she had finally come home. So my Aunt and Uncle came home from Florida and my Aunt and Uncle came in from Philadelphia. All of the local relatives came over and we had a dining room that only seated 6 people so we had to bring in a long folding table to add on to it. Our dining room went into our living room through pocket doors so we just made one long table for everyone stretching 2 rooms! We had place tags out so everyone would know where to sit and we set up the dinner buffet style in the foyer. I always joked that I had to stand at the end of the line in my own house and hope that there were enough scraps left over for me to have a plate full of food! haha!! But, there was more than enough. Everyone got along, no fights except that my mom had a migraine the whole time. We had all of the family together and it was great. 2 weeks after that my Aunt had another stroke and went back to the rehab center never to return home again. That was the last time the entire family was together for a holiday dinner and I'm so glad that we were all able to do it and that my Aunt was able to visit with everyone while she was still well enough to do it. That was a great Thanksgiving.

 

[made582]

My favorite thanksgiving memories are when my grandma was alive and we would all get together at her house. I had a great aunt and uncle that would come in from PA and cousins that would come over. We would have a ball cooking all morning and then eating and going through the black friday ads all afternoon. Now that my cousins kids are grown they have there own thanksgiving with there kids families. We still get together at my sisters house with some of the family but it is not the same without my sister and brother in law who live in washington. I also like the year my sister caught a kitchen towel on fire and called and said that her kitchen was on fire and asked what she should do. By the time I told her to call 911 the towel had gone out and she was like okay never mind. We have fun kidding her about that every year and we bought her a fire extingusher that year for christmas.

 

[joyful]

Great stories, keep them coming. I really love reading them.

 

[joyful]

Anyone getting really hungry for Turkey with all the trimmings and Pumpkin Pie?

Have any stories about cooking the turkey? Or preparing the entire meal?
Or sharing a Thanksgiving dinner?

 

[Minta]

Growing up it was always just me and my parents for Thanksgiving. My dad would always buy a 20 lb fresh turkey. For just 3 people we had turkey leftovers for a long time after. My mom would make so much food that there was not empty spot on the table.

But my fondest memory was the first Thanksgiving DH and I had together as a couple over 10 years ago. Thanskgiving day was over cast, cold and had rained over night so everything was wet. We went to the local high school football game with his siblings and my best friend. We ran into so many other friends there. We had a BLAST. Could not tell you who won the game but I remember everyone who was there. We went to one of DH's grandmom's house for dinner and then that night at home we crashed on the couch watching Christmas movies we had rented the day before. It was such a great day!

 

[Mumof2]

Wow,good Question.But I can't say I had only one.We had so many great Thanksgivings.There were so many of us,that there was never a dull moment.But I guess the last Thanksgiving we all had together in 1997 before I moved outta state and my Dad passed away would probably be the best One

 

[Smiley21]

I've always been the silly one in my family. One Thanksgiving my family was preparing to say the prayer & we were trying to decide who to let say the prayer so the next thing we know my grandma starts prayer out the BLUE! As she was saying a prayer & she began to "bless" the food. Now, let me preface this next statement by saying my grandmother is a retired educator. As she's blessing the food she asks the Lord to bless this class. The family tried to continue as if she never said it but I could NOT contain my laughter the WHOLE family just started laughing & said Amen LOL!