Thanksgivings Past

Because people are so busy next week, I decided to post my Thanksgiving blog early.

All of my favorite Thanksgivings as a child were when we visited Downingtown and my Italian relatives.

At Henry & Dixie’s we would get up and after breakfast go to the rival Downingtown vs. Coatesville football game. We would go back and sit down and eat for hours one course after another course and Henry would entertain us with stories of Snagolene.

There were a few memorable Thanksgivings where we went to dinner at the Clemente side of the family. It was an unbelievable cultural experience. They brought out lasagna and we ate our fill only to find out it was the first course. Then they brought out turkey with all the trimmings and a roast beef too. After dinner fruit, nuts, pastry. We went downstairs and watched TV for a few hours and our hosts brought down a snack…. homemade pizza.

When we were married, we spent Thanksgiving with our friends the Merritt’s. Once we spent the day in the emergency room when Annie climbed on a riding toy and split open her chin. I worried the whole time my turkey was burning and when we got home, my friend had gone to our home and finished cooking the whole dinner for us.

We spent several "Walton" Thanksgivings in Washington, Pa. early in our marriage at Grandma Martin’s. She sometimes had 40 plus people for her dinner. There were long tables set up in the basement and cousins running around everywhere. It was awesome. After Grandma and Grandpap couldn’t do it anymore, we had the holiday with Pap Pap and Deedle and her famous 8 hour turkey cooked in a paper grocery bag.

In Florida we were pretty much on our own. I would try to invite others if I knew they did not have a family. Once, I accidently picked up the brown vanilla bottle and doused it in my gravy and ruined the whole dinner. I thought it was the brown “Kitchen Bouquet” bottle. I will never live that one down.

This year my husband will be working and my kitchen will be torn apart for much needed renovations. I am thankful for the memories of Thanksgiving’s past. I pass the torch to our children and grandchildren to make new memories.