Thanksgiving Blessings...

Last night while the hubby and I were watching our favorite show, Parenthood, I couldn't help but get all choked up over the holidays of the past.  We were that family; the one that got together for the holidays and made a big deal over just being together.  

Parenthood- I love this show!

 We used to gather at my Grama's house and she'd have to get out this giant piece of plywood to put over her table just to fit all of us.  I always remember that there was a nice, clean, crisp white sheet that she would cover the table with; never a tablecloth.  That sheet would be a mess by the end of the meal.  We always started at 1 p.m.  Just enough time for the guys to watch football and fit in at least a few pieces of pie before everyone left for their own homes.  I remember there being a lot of family members with horrible mustaches loosening their pants.  Those were the good old days.

There would be wine, or was it Crown Royal, and I'm pretty sure that my brother and I helped do the dishes most of the time.  We were pretty much Grama's little servants.  We always did the dishes the best.  At least that's what she told us.  I think that's when I learned to stack dishes as high as I can.

I never wanted the holidays to end.  I loved being with my cousins.  I loved watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.  Now, I sleep through it.  Thanksgiving Eve is the biggest bar night of the year; so a 9 a.m. parade doesn't seem as enjoyable as it used to.

My favorite thing to eat at Thanksgiving is stuffing.  I'm the biggest stuffing buff around.  Which is probably why my waistline gets bigger by the end of Thanksgiving night.  How much bread can you possibly have? At least I never eat the rolls; that balances it out right?  I think it's funny how stuffing is my favorite because my Grama used to make it with the giblets from the turkey when we were kids.  It never failed that you would get a really hard piece that would just turn you off from the stuffing; at least for a second.  It was just disgusting!  Then you'd realize you could just use your napkin to get rid of that one little nasty piece in order to enjoy the rest. 

It's funny to me that I remember my Grama being a good cook.  My mother recalls a completely different story.  Apparently, Grama never learned to cook until she was older.  Maybe that's why my brother and I would get random pieces of eggshell in our scrambled eggs in the morning; she always claimed it was pepper, even though we never tasted it.

I miss my Grama's food.  Even the nasty little giblets she put in the stuffing that made us all smile at each other and laugh.  

I'm thankful for the time she was here with us.  I'm thankful that she helped raise us into the people we are today.  

I'm thankful for the years of Thanksgivings that we had as that family.  

This year I'll be going to my sister-in-laws house in the afternoon and then to my parents house at night.  Unfortunately, my hubby has to work; the downfalls of having a night job.  Thankfully, the restaurant closes on Thanksgiving.  I wish my brothers were closer so my mom could get excited over the holidays, but until then I'll just have to try to get her in the holiday spirit on my own.  It might take a little bit of convincing though.  But I'm going to enjoy the memories of those great holidays; I hope I can make those memories happen again someday.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!