Thanksgiving Traditions

The night before Thanksgiving, I settle in back home with my family and turn on the TV to hear some very famous words, “Live from New York, It’s Saturday Night!” 

Except it’s not Saturday night, it’s 9 p.m. on a Wednesday, and it’s definitely not live. 

I’m talking about the “SNL” Thanksgiving special. A two-hour special of all the show’s best Thanksgiving-themed skits from over the years. 

Then, of course, is “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.” Year after year, I watch as Charlie Brown and Snoopy cook up a Thanksgiving meal of popcorn, toast, and jellybeans served outside on a ping pong table. 

I wake up on Thanksgiving morning with an almost Christmas day feeling, except instead of presents under a tree, there is a turkey in the oven. 

Between the hustle and bustle of getting ready for family to come later in the day, we turn on another annual holiday staple, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. We eat breakfast as we watch over a dozen balloons fly through the streets of New York City.

It’s almost time for me to come in to help in the kitchen. I make one of my favorite things on the table, mashed potatoes, because of course Thanksgiving is all about the sides. My recipe uses lots of butter, milk, salt, pepper, and of course the potatoes. 

We normally eat half of the cheeseboard before anyone even gets to the house. It’s a house you can’t miss during this time of year, especially because of the six-foot inflatable turkey in the front yard. 

My family arrives bearing desserts and drinks for our feast. As we begin to fill the table with serving dishes piled high, people soon follow to their seats. 

“Can you pass the gravy?” someone will call out. Down the table, a turkey-shaped bowl will get passed on to the next until we have all had our share.  

We watch our feet as our dog sleeps under the table, hoping for a scratch from a visitor or two.

When dinner is over, we wait a few minutes until we bring out the final course, dessert. As a new array of sweets gets paraded to the table, I stand at the Keurig and assume my duty as barista for the evening. Except all they get is one size and regular or decaf. 

After we are ushered back to our seats with drinks refilled, some will carry on their previous discussions or start a new one. 

This is the part of the day where I most likely shift to the couch with the dining room still in view because eating is exhausting.

Once the meal is done and the plates are cleaned, it’s time to change the music. Once the turkey is away, it’s almost time for Christmas day. The record we played throughout dinner is done, and it’s time to switch to the holiday classics.  

As we say goodbye to our visitors, we turn on “ELF” and watch as Will Ferrell sings to spread some Christmas cheer. The holiday season is officially here.

About the author

Circulation Manager

Leave a Reply