Purrs and hooowdys, Kittens & Dawgs! Thanksgiving is only weeks away. I thought I’d share a new series “Memories of Thanksgiving “. Today, I’m walking through the years of long ago past to my childhood!
In my early childhood years, most events pass through my memory as snapshots and sensations. My maternal grandparents hosted a big feast in their tiny home nestled in the hills of southern West Virginia. The house buzzed with activity, mostly grandma working on the meal. We often were the first to show since we lived nearby but soon others filed in and the kitchen filled with more help.
In the fun madness of it all, oftentimes I escaped to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. The ginormous balloons always fascinated me and naturally I loved seeing Santa concluding the grandeur.
After I got bored with TV, I often wondered back into the kitchen to watch the activity. Grandma peeked in on the turkey every little bit basting the bird with the steamy juices it nestled in while green beans from summer’s harvest flavored with bacon and new potatoes boiled as more pots simmered and spat on the stovetop, and home-made rolls sat covered to grow before going into the oven. But… my favorite was the desserts! Cakes. Pies. Oh my, lining the countertops! I remember grandma warning me to keep my fingers out of the sweets as if I would do such a thing. snicker-snicker Often her words fell on deaf ears but she definitely had my number!
The meal spread across the dinner table seemed immense to a small child and often times my eyes were bigger than my belly. I ate more than I should, which really wasn’t a lot, and became extremely sleepy after eating. No doubt, I found my way to the living room to curl up on the sofa for a little Cathy nap so I could dive into all those tasty desserts after the women cleaned up!
Did you spend Thanksgiving with your grandparents? What did you like best about the holiday as a child? What’s was your favorite or most memorable dish or dessert?
Tidbits for your enjoyment…
The Story Behind “Over the Mountains and Through the Wood”
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
After this week, I am going to scale back on blogging for the rest of the year. Life gets too hectic with the holidays and I want to enjoy all things instead of feeling pushed, so if I blog then fine and if not just know all is well. If you don’t want to miss the latest mews then sign up to get email notification of my latest posts. 😉
That’s all for now but you’re invited to join me tomorrow for another edition of Friday Fun Stuff!
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My guess is that, if you hadn’t left the kichen under your own power, you’d have been told to get out. 😀
This was a nice story!
John,
You’re probably right. lol
Sounds like you have some great memories. I did spend it with my grandparents until I was 11 when my Gramma passed away.
Ellen,
I spent a lot of time with my grandparents when I was little. It seemed like I was there all the time but I know the mind lies and one’s perspective gets jumbled over time. Nonetheless I had the pleasure of sharing many hours in the care of my grandma and grandpa especially in the early years when my parents lived almost next door to them. My grandma lived for 86 years and most of the holidays up till the time I got married I enjoyed sharing with them. She loved to cook and mmm, did her home ever smell good, too!! I sure do miss her.
We usually gathered at my parent’s or one of my mother’s sister’s house for Thanksgiving. But very similar memories.
Barbara,
Thanksgiving is a lovely time to gather in family and/or friends’ homes. We haven’t had the pleasure of doing this in the last couple of years but I do cherish a lot of good, warm memories. 🙂
You are an incredible narrative writer. I loved every ounce of this post. Thanksgiving is a great time for making memories.
Myke,
Why, thank you! I appreciate such kind words coming from a poet! 😀 I believe it’s the nostalgia of the past that brings out the best in my descriptive recount. I’m not sure if the way I recall the good ole days is spot on but it’s definitely the way I choose to remember it. Have a great weekend, my friend!
When I was growing up we never lived close to relatives so our Thanksgiving celebration were only with our immediate family. It was one of my favorite times of year.
In the years when my wife and kids and I were touring with the theatrical production we were always in Nashville for Thanksgiving. There was a good buffet restaurant near Hendersonville that became our dining tradition. I would take the cast members and we’d all have our away-from-home dinner together. Then we’d head off to set up for that evening’s show in Gallatin. Every year we’d play that town under the sponsorship of the Human Society or some animal organization. I don’t know why they always liked to schedule their show on Thanksgiving but they did. The turn-out was never very big, but advance sales were always respectable so the show and promoters didn’t lose any money no matter how few people turned out.
Lee
Tossing It Out
Lee,
Life on the road always seemed distant. It was one I can say is not for me. I often wondered how those such as yourself worked in traditions and I’m happy to read that you found a special way to tap into the holidays that now bring back distinct, fond memories. It always baffled me why professional football is played on Thanksgiving but I’m told that the Detroit Lions actually like keeping this tradition. I know watching football on Thanksgiving grew on me over the years and now I look forward to it. 🙂
I remember that banana pudding. That was pretty good pudding.
We always ate at home on the holidays. We lived on a farm so we couldn’t leave. Those cows need milking every 12 hours.
Have a fabulous day. ☺
Sandee,
I love banana pudding but DH is allergic to bananas. I keep saying I need to make some without the bananas so he can have it but I can add bananas to mine. Maybe I’ll do that this year. Farm life is demanding. I’m always in awe of the folks who choose to maintain that way of life. Were your folks dairy farmers?
We took turns with both sides of the family. If we drove to Mississippi for Thanksgiving, we stayed in NOLA for Christmas, and vice versa. It alternated each year. All my memories are of big meals shared with cousins and aunts and uncles and grandparents, whether a Thanksgiving or Christmas feast. They sort of blur together, except that the NOLA side of the family served several Middle Eastern dishes added to the turkey and fixings that weren’t part of the Mississippi family heritage.
Hope you are planning a great time with your family this year!
Mimi,
I’m the first grandchild and the next one is 4 or 5 years younger than me. Most of my cousins are a bit younger than me, so while growing up I felt out of place. I was too old for the cousins and too young for the adults. I connected more with my youngest aunt (she’s about 10-years older than me) and uncles. However. when I think about it there is only 16-years that separate my mother and me. She could be my older sister. 🙂
Hi, Cathy!
Thank you for sharing childhood memories of Thanksgiving. They are similar to mine. Our family did not gather at our grandparents house, however. We went to my aunt & uncle’s farmhouse. I will never forget their huge dining room table at which we sat to enjoy the feast, 15 to 20 of us. (My mother was one of four sisters and each sister brought her family to the affair.) Food everywhere and lots of laughter shared with family on a holiday – it doesn’t get any better than that.
I enjoyed watching those newsreels from holiday parades of the mid 60s. In addition to seeing the Munsters riding along the parade route in their dragster, three other things jumped out at me. The faded black & white footage made it seem like the clips were much older. The announcers that narrated the parade scenes had that perfect formal diction carried over from the WWII era – quite different from the casual style used by announcers today. The third thing that jumped out at me was the use of the word “gay” by the announcer to mean happy or festive. It surprised me to realize the word was still being used in that context as late as 1966. That would soon change.
Thank you again and have a happy Thursday, dear friend Cathy!
Tom,
My mother is the oldest of seven, each of which has an average of 3 kids so in my late teens whenever everyone gathered then there were more than 40 people under my grandparents’ roof. That’s amazing because looking back I recall the house being full but with that crowd had to be a bit overwhelming for the size of my grandparents home. I guess most of the kids were outdoors playing I’m the oldest of the grandkids by several years so I didn’t mingle with them, my time was spent with my aunts and uncles mostly.
I hadn’t thought about wordage in the old film clips. Honestly, I don’t get the use of “gay” for a homosexual and absolutely refuse to use it in that context. I would think most of us are happy about our sexual preference so why link the word “gay” to one group? Oh well…it doesn’t make sense. lol 🙂