I LOVE Thanksgiving. It has always been all about God, family, food and football. And being thankful for all of those things ... in that precise order. My mom always made it special with her "Spare no frills" Thanksgiving day lunch, and creating an obsession in me for that great "cooked all night" turkey smell on Thanksgiving morning, not to mention just the satisfaction of us all at home together. My Daddy was famous for his ability to make enough spots in our cozy family room for any family that might appear and about 4 TVs. We'd cook, watch the Macy's parade, cook, watch football, cook, watch more football, eat, .... Thanksgiving was always a big deal and I am fighting Malls and commercials to keep it that way. Therefore Christmas is not talked about until Thanksgiving night or you get "thumped" on the ear. I am sure this particular little tradition will be one of the top ten in my children's "The Stupid Things My Mom Used to Do List".
I am bound and determined for my children to have the same warm fuzzy/somewhat bizarre obsessions and memories that I have. So, after all the Scarecrow parades and Thanksgiving "Feasts" at school were over, indescribable joy exploded at the Cox house due to the promise of no school for 5 days and the hopes of family, food and football... and as "The Reverend" always says... that great smell you wake up to on Thanksgiving morning when the turkey has been cooking all night. And, yes, he has had me cook a turkey all night even when we were going to be at someone else's house for dinner. I knew I married the right guy! I just know in all my efforts that one day down the road my grown children will be sitting around the Thanksgiving table laughing about their lives and memories and perhaps.... sharing the aforementioned list.
I feel the same way girl. Poor Thanksgiving is stuck between Halloween and Christmas, and I feel like it's often overlooked as a meal you eat before Black Friday. Not in my house. We don't mention Christmas, aside from Santa list preparation, until after Thanksgiving dinner. The Christmas lights on the house remain off until the turkey has been consumed. No exceptions. No Christmas music or decorating. Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday. We typically go to San Antonio to see my aunts and cousins. Cozy dinner for 25. I love it. So special. This year we stayed home to make dinner for my father-in-law's family. He has 5 kids, 10 grandkids - a whole mess of family. He's in the middle of chemo for stage 4 lung cancer and we wanted to help Sandy cook and host them this year. It was so special, and the memory just adds to my adoration for this holiday. It was perfect. Thanks for this beautiful post.
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