On this Thanksgiving Day…

Memories from hillaryvillagers:

From Taylor:
I do not remember the traditions of my childhood Thanksgivings as vividly as I do Christmas and Easter.  I do remember we always had turkey and bread dressing but the location shifted houses every year to aunts & uncles, grandparents, etc.

 

Soon after we were married I began to host Thanksgiving dinner and we usually had 8-16 people. This tradition lasted almost 30 years. I would make a turkey wrapped in bacon that was stuffed with wild rice dressing.   Sides would include mashed potatoes & gravy, scalloped corn and cranberry salad.  My husband would make the pumpkin and pecan pies.  At our table would be neighbors, relatives, and students visiting from other countries or without parents.  I love the Thanksgiving meal, the smell in the house, and of course the leftovers.

 

I have a collection of glass pumpkins of all shapes, sizes, and colors.  They come out for Halloween and Thanksgiving and are put away as we decorate for Christmas.

 

I wish each and every villager a happy and satisfying Thanksgiving–whether celebrating alone, with a few, or a large gathering.  It is always fruitful to pause and recognize all that we have and give thanks.

From Karel:

I’m one of the fortunate, my immediate family lives within minutes of my home.  For the past 15 years or so we all meet at my sister’s home, her home is big enough to accommodate the crowd.  She cooks the turkey, or I should say her husband does, she’s actually not much of a cook…I could tell you stories from our childhood.  Everyone is assigned to bring something, it’s potluck…but every year it’s usually turkey, mashed potatoes, rolls, green beans, green jello salad, tossed salad, a few surprise dishes and various pies, including pumpkin pie for dessert!  We spend the afternoon together, visiting, eating and cleaning up(some of the best laughs and conversations are in the kitchen with the ladies and their dishpan hands)…always remembering to count our blessings. 

We are extraordinarily blessed…the matriarch of our family, my mom, is 88 years old and still going strong…that’s something all five of her kids are really thankful for.

From Normita:

We will celebrate this Thanksgiving with a big hole in our hearts – my brother passed away this summer, and my other brother is on his way from the Philippines tonight for treatment. These are indeed sad days. But sadness will never replace our everyday joy of sharing the blessings that life gives.

The friendship that this village represents is like no other. This is not an ordinary place, this is a destination for everyone who may not agree with everything; a special place for ideas and opinions of everyday people from different walks of life. This is a place where friendship is celebrated every single day with every comment, with every post that are expressed with respect and gratitude.

Happy Thanksgiving from our home to yours.

“Nat King Cole A House With Love In It”