It's a FAMILY TRADITION!

Today isn't actually Thanksgiving, but close enough...tomorrow I'll be cooking that big dinner I told you about a few posts ago in Let's Talk Turkey, and I will be busy working on the meal. I wanted to make sure to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!

I also wanted to touch on why I love Thanksgiving so much and it's my favorite holiday (besides by birthday because no one gets to celebrate my birthday but ME!).

Growing up Christmas had to be my ultimate favorite. Of course! Who doesn't like getting presents from the jolly, happy toy maker from the North Pole. But as I got older, there were things that my parents did before Christmas that became a tradition and not about the presents. It was about family and the importance of it.

My parents were ever so clever in teaching us the family tradition way. The last thing you want to do when you are sixteen is spend ALL of your Thanksgiving break with your parents!

Here is how it worked. We had Thanksgiving with my aunts/uncles/cousins etc., which was fun. But the real magic came the days following Thanksgiving. NO! It didn't involve shopping or black Friday. As a matter of fact. . .I don't participate in shopping on those days. I get my shopping done before Thanksgiving and don't CARE about any deals!

Okay...back on track....

The days following Thanksgiving my parents would say "let's go get the Christmas tree." Yes! They were thinking along the lines of presents! I could totally skip my friends for a few hours to do that! Then they'd say "before we do that, why don't we go out to dinner and then drive around looking at Christmas lights."
DUH! What teenager doesn't like free food?? So generally we didn't get home until late and the tree lots were closed, but it was okay because we were going to go the next day and have lunch out!

The next day, I'd get up to Christmas music playing throughout the house. It made me warm and fuzzy just thinking about that new purse I was going to get or the new shoes that was going to go with the new outfit I had picked out from United Colors Of Benetton (yes, that was my store!). And the smell of breakfast wafted through the house. I yanked my long phone cord that was wedged between the side of my water bed (yeah, I had one of those too) and tried to uncurl it before I rotary dialed my best friend to let her know I was doing the "Christmas thing" to keep my parents off my back! Oh. . .was I pulling one over on them! Life was good.

We were on our way! We had a little lunch, we got a tree, and then went home. We couldn't decorate because the tree needed to "fall," meaning the branches needed to warm to room temperature before we put the ornaments on it, so that would have to wait until after church on Sunday. BUT THAT WAS MY LAST DAY OF BREAK!!!!! But I wanted those shoes sooooo bad.....

Like a good teenager, I sucked it up, after all. . .there was a purse too! So on Sunday, my mom had Thanksgiving left overs (which I love) and put on the music while my dad sat back and watched us decorate the tree. Oh. . . and she made apple cider along with homemade goodies!! All in all, that is how all my Thanksgiving breaks went.


Boy! My parents were sneaky!

As I got older, I expected we were going to do those things. Even when I moved away, I still went home longing for the ride through the neighborhoods to see the lights, pick out a tree, listen to carols (and sing them at the top of my voice), have family meals, and then finish off break by decorating the tree.

It become a tradition and my favorite holiday!

As I had my guys (13, twins: 15) my family and now husband, continued to do this tradition. We still go to my parent's house, and do it all the weekend after Thanksgiving. Of course the driving around looking at lights has turned into driving through the Kentucky Horse Park to see their display or this year we are going to downtown Lexington for ice skating and the Christmas tree lighting, but we are together as a FAMILY TRADITION!

My guys are at the age where they value their break just as much as I did. . .or at least I thought they did. One of the 15 yo guys said, "We are going to Granny's to decorate, right?"
The other 15 yo said, "yeah, why would we miss that? We do it every year."
Then the 13 yo said, "do you remember last year when y'all got mad because I put all my ornaments with my face and stuff on them in the front? AND I put one as the angel on top?"
I smiled, listening to their conversation because that was exactly how last year went and I had totally forgotten about it! But what struck me most was that I too had instilled this long standing tradition in my guys.  A tradition that didn't include presents, but being together as a family and learning how valuable those times really are.
I have to say. . .I'm one proud momma!

Do you have any traditions you'd like to share?

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

The winner of the copy of COLOR ME A CRIME is Nora Adrienne! Please email me what ereader you have so I can send you a copy!

The winner of the copy of A NEW TRADITION is Lisa Thomas! Please email me what ereader you have so I can send you a copy!

Let's Talk Turkey!

WOW! Can you believe that Thanksgiving is just around the corner?

And guess who is hosting Thanksgiving dinner this year?

Yep!

(EECK!)


Why do I dread it?
It's not the cooking....which I don't claim to be a great cook, but I have a fantastic recipe book for all the Thanksgiving fixing.

It's not that I don't like to have all the company! I do. If there is one thing that you should know about me....I'm loyal as loyal can be. I LOVE my family and enjoy every second being with them.

BUT hosting the family Thanksgiving dinner for twenty was taken away from me six years ago.

Well...they never said, "Um....Tonya, you can't have Thanksgiving anymore." They were a little more subtle, "Your sister is going to have it. OR Mom is going to do it this year."

I guess I couldn't blame them. After all, six years ago I did screw up Thanksgiving dinner.

(YUMMY)

This is how I dreamed of my turkey six years ago. It was going to be a grand dinner. After all, me and my guys had just moved into our new house, the paint was barely dried on the walls, and the house was going to be filled with overflowing love.

Our new neighbors were having a WELCOME TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD party for us the night before. (The night before Thanksgiving is a BIG party night in the town that I live in. I mean all night parties!) And we were very excited about meeting all the new families and celebrating the upcoming holidays.

Carefully I put my 30 pound uncooked turkey in the sink to help finish the thawing process before I put it in the oven overnight for slow, tender, juicy cooking. We have a fabulous wood burning stove, which was blazing because of the four inches of snow we had on the ground. There is nothing better than warming your bum with a wood burning stove! I added more wood to the fire and made a mental note to send one of my guys to check on it during the party. After all, we JUST moved in and I didn't want to burn the house down! 

After letting the dogs out to go potty, off the six of us went, with a cocktail in hand, we made our way to the neighbors.

Plenty of food and drink to go around. Everyone was so welcoming and inviting! It was fabulous! Two hours into the party, I glanced at my watch. It was time. Quietly, I called one of my guys over and begged him to go check on the fire and dogs. Of course he protested at first because he was in the middle of some XBox game with another neighborhood kid, but I sent him anyways.

Minutes later he was running into the party, flailing his arms, screaming my name. "Oh my God, Mom! Come quick!" I yelled for my husband to follow me. I didn't even bother to thank the host for having us, I just knew I had to get home. 

Frantically I raced to the house, sure it was on fire! My guy had ran ahead of me, I didn't get a chance to ask what was wrong. I just ran....like Forest Gump.

"What? What is wrong?" I asked my son as I looked around the inside of our house. I didn't see smoke, I didn't smell smoke.

"There!" He pointed. I followed his finger to the worst scene imaginable.

My dogs had gotten the turkey out of the sink, dragged it into the family room and feasted on my uncooked meat right in front of the wood burning stove!

Raw turkey and dogs.....Throwing them in the car, I rushed to the emergency vet clinic. They told me to watch them and wait. So....$100 and one hour later, I put them back in the car, with Thanksgiving on my mind. The Walmart sign off the interstate caught my eye. Surely they would have some Turkeys!

WRONG!!! Completely out!

The next day I got up bright and early, going to every single grocery store you can possibly imagine in the greater Cincinnati area. NO LUCK!

Defeated, upset, and mad, I noticed the Cracker Barrel Restaurant was booming. They had Thanksgiving dinners! I whipped my car into the parking lot and with hope in my heart, jogged right on in and up to the hostess stand.

Long story short....it was too late to order a dinner for over twenty people. 

With less than one hour until my guest arrive, I did the only option I had left. No turkey for Thanksgiving.

I already had the hors d'oeuvres made, sides for the dinner and the desserts. Thanksgiving would go on without the turkey.

Hours later, after me pushing the snacks, we were all seated at the beautifully designed table scape. I didn't say a word and neither did my guys (because I threatened them with their lives!) and we passed all the sides around. Everyone's plates were filled to the edge, there wasn't room for turkey anyways.

Then....my dad....."Give me a leg." He rubbed his hands together with a smile on his face. 

"Where is the wishbone?" My niece gleefully asked. It was tradition that she got the wishbone every year because she is the only girl in the family.

I gave my guys the eye. You know...THE EYE!  And continued to shovel the sweet potato casserole in my mouth, with a roll chaser. But the questions were followed up by my mom heading into the kitchen to look for the turkey platter. The slam of the over door could've been heard from three houses down.

"Tonya, where is the turkey?" She gave ME the eye! Yep....you know...THE EYE!

"Funny thing about that turkey...we decided to go without this year." I continued to eat. 

"You know, Tonya dear." My aunt patted my uncle's hand, and whispered,  "She's an artist. Sometimes they eat meat, sometimes they don't. Just fill up on the rolls."

Now after SIX loooong years, I finally get to host a REAL THANKSGIVING DINNER in our house. This time the turkey will go straight from the refrigerator to the stove!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Do you have any funny Thanksgiving tales? I'm giving away a copy of my new book COLOR ME A Crime (out Thanksgiving week) to one lucky comment! Winner will be picked on Thanksgiving night!