Thanksgiving Traditions!!!!

[deadbear80]

Thanksgiving used to involve 50-60 people at my house (my Mom is one of 7 kids) and it was easier to invite everyone's in-laws to our house so everyone could be together (since the 'in-laws' usually involved like...10-15 people). We also have had family friends join us. But then my great-aunt and great-uncle and their family broke off...then one aunt & uncle moved to New Mexico and another aunt & uncle to Florida. And some of the 'in-laws' have broken off as well. I think my Mom said there are only 29 of us this year--all family and 'in-law', no family friends.

But since there are so many people, and since my great-aunt and great-uncle own a catering company--we've had catered Thanksgiving for as long as I can remember. It's my great-aunt's recipes anyway--so it's not like the food isn't good. My Mom still makes applesauce, a strawberry-rhubarb jello mold, corn bread muffins, and pumpkin pie. And this year she's told me that most of that will be my responsibility--plus making my special margarita pie and brownies. Most of it we'll cook on Wednesday--but Mom always gets up at 6 AM on Thursday morning to make the pumpkin pie fresh.

We've also started a new tradition the past couple of years--celebrating Hanukkah on Thanksgiving. There are 10 of us cousins and since we're all grown (except one who is almost 11--the 3 oldest after him are all seniors in high school) no one is around for the Winter anymore. Since my cousins and I are 'no fun' (meaning--we all just ask for money) my Mom and her siblings used to go all out for each other--but it has turned into a mess...and really complicated Thanksgiving in many ways. So supposedly, this year, it's just my cousins and I getting stuff. I'm the oldest and somehow no one ever listens when I ask for money (which is funny--since I'm the one who needs it most since I'll be paying off grad-school loans really soon!) so we'll see what happens. Last year, some people did...and one Aunt got me the most unnecessary gift ever--the first gift I've EVER returned for the cash...so I told my Mom she really needs to be explicit with people this year. Not to say I'm a money grubber--but my other cousins just spend their money on beer and college fun or whatever high school kids spent it on these days (up until May I was the only one who had graduated from college yet--although 2 just did)--and I'm the one who uses the money to pay for stuff for my cat and my apartment.

[aephi alum]

My family is pretty small. When I was growing up, it was pretty much just me, my parents, and my grandfather. We'd have turkey breast, stuffing, cranberry sauce (if my mom remembered to prepare it - she forgot half the time), and some type of veggie. My birthday is around Thanksgiving, so dessert was always an ice cream cake.

Nowadays, my husband and I live not far from my parents and in-laws, so we visit both sets of parents over the course of the long weekend. This year, we're going to my parents' for Turkey Day, and they're doing the turkey breast, stuffing, etc. that they've always made. On Saturday we'll visit my in-laws.

My mother still serves ice cream cake for dessert. The only difference is that the cake also has my husband's name on it; his birthday is a few days after mine. *sigh*