I read a comment last Sunday from geoff the aardvark about a lovely family tradition they had for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. Here is the post where he left his comment: Rosemary for Remembrance.
This made me think of my family tradition during the holidays; of the men doing the dinner cleanup. Pictures of them in the ladies aprons was always a treat to share!
Would you like to share some of your treasured family traditions?
h/t geoff the aardvark
The annual airing of grievances.
Thar was a nice tradition. I wish I had done the same.
Last year, for reasons I won’t go into, our turkey just would not cook through, so we threw it over the fence. We thought maybe we would gather the grands around the fence every Thanksgiving and do a ceremonial toss. The four year old still remembers it.
Well, not exactly a tradition but this year it’s duck à l’orange, oyster dressing and peas.
The-Mamomma, if you didn’t want to waste a good turkey you could throw a lib over the fence.
The annual Pumpkin Shoot. Pumpkins bought for Halloween and fall in general meet their demise Thanksgiving Day. Fun target practice, but most rounds go right through them. Grand Finale is a a 12 gauge.
We have a special needs son who will always be perpetually 8 (or 12 on some days) and believes in Santa. Every year (and there have been many), the fire station has a Santa that rides the fire truck and comes through our neighborhood on Christmas Eve. We get the schedule and our son sits outside and waits. He won’t stay in the house even though we can hear it coming down the hill behind our house. His delight and wonder are so uplifting that our neighbors come out just to watch him1
It isn’t as fun as throwing a turkey over the fence but it is magical for us.
Thanksgiving tradition is to have day after sammiches. Every sammich must have some of everything that is leftover. No cheating, everything means everything. Repeat daily for as long as it takes ’til it is all gone.
Not really a family tradition but something I’ve done on my own the last several years, re read William Bradford’s telling of The Pilgrim’s disastrous foray into “communism”, what they called the taking away of property and bringing it into the commonwealth;
https://www.heritage.org/markets-and-finance/commentary/pilgrims-beat-communism-free-market
“Writing in his diary of the dire economic straits and self-destructive behavior that consumed his fellow Puritans shortly after their arrival, Governor William Bradford painted a picture of destitute settlers selling their clothes and bed coverings for food while others “became servants to the Indians,” cutting wood and fetching water in exchange for “a capful of corn.” The most desperate among them starved, with Bradford recounting how one settler, in gathering shellfish along the shore, “was so weak … he stuck fast in the mud and was found dead in the place.”
Brink of Extermination
The most able and fit young men in Plymouth thought it an “injustice” that they were paid the same as those “not able to do a quarter the other could.” Women, meanwhile, viewed the communal chores they were required to perform for others as a form of “slavery.”
On the brink of extermination, the Colony’s leaders changed course and allotted a parcel of land to each settler, hoping the private ownership of farmland would encourage self-sufficiency and lead to the cultivation of more corn and other foodstuffs.
As Adam Smith would have predicted, this new system worked famously. “This had very good success,” Bradford reported, “for it made all hands very industrious.” In fact, “much more corn was planted than otherwise would have been” and productivity increased. “Women,” for example, “went willingly into the field, and took their little ones with them to set corn.”
The famine that nearly wiped out the Pilgrims in 1623 gave way to a period of agricultural abundance that enabled the Massachusetts settlers to set down permanent roots in the New World, prosper, and play an indispensable role in the ultimate success of the American experiment”
Yet, Biden and company ignore the lessons of the past, catering to the collective while ignoring the individual and his right to prosper by his own industry.
“Would you like to share some of your treasured family traditions?”
Yeah…. BURNING THIS MOTHER FUCKER TO THE GROUND IN PROTEST OF THIS STOLEN ELECTION.
Then it’s punch and pie.
Telling everybody that they’re liberal idiots and sit back and watch them sulk. Then I ask if there’s pie!
Those little pearl onions.
(I thought I’d start small. It’s the little things…)
My favorite Thanksgiving tradition was to arrive in Honolulu about three or four days before the holiday, make dinner reservations at one of their ocean view, highrise restaurants, sit down to a dinner of anything that doesn’t include turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, yams, green beans, rolls or cranberries, then have a small pumpkin souffle for dessert.
I’m thankful all year long. Thanksgiving is sort of a day off from that. And I’m not a big fan of turkey.
Using that 90 yr old “Desert Rose” china that my mom gave me, service for 12 and have 15 invited, should be fun.
Sadly, the family has diminished over the years.
On the brighter side- we won’t be violating any stupid covid restrictions.
Many years of Thanksgiving traditions may go by the wayside if Biden gains the WH.
The traditions likely will turn into lock and load with an extra helping of ‘more ammo’.
Our family is kind of non traditional. None of us are huge fans of turkey or the typical fixings.
This year, we are doing a huge breakfast buffet for dinner, and then follow that with a marathon of board games.
Dessert is going to be ice cream sundaes.
Over the years we have done taco bars, huge home made pizzas, hot dog bars,
The evening ends with drawing names for our secret Santa and stockings.
My favorite part of the Thanks Giving weekend, was getting together with family and/or friends, and shopping for Toys for Tots.
Unfortunately, the fear mongers have managed to take the fun out of that too.
It’s been more than 45 years since I was invited to a Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. I was just a boy back then; it never occurred to me that things wouldn’t always be that way.
Most of the family was very old, to my eyes. I now know they were in their late 50s to early 60s. One by one they passed away over the course of a couple years (none of us lives very long).
Mom followed 23 years ago, and Dad 13 years ago. My brother is several States away and finds himself far too important to answer my calls. My sister only calls when she’s promised one friend or another that I’d fix a car, computer, appliance, roof, or whatever. I’ve stopped answering.
So my tradition, if one could attach such an illustrious connotation to it, is to buy a few bottles of some fancy German bier that I can no longer pronounce. I sit by the window and watch all the cars struggle to wiggle into the last few feet of curbside up and down the street. I’ll then open another bottle and catch the various aromas the frigid breeze stubbornly carries and hear the guests welcomed to the hearths and hearts of family.
I think back to the velvet-textured wallpaper and the mahogany table with eighteen of us trying to figure out what to do with our elbows.
The last bottle is to say goodbye, again, while flipping through old photo albums.
Yes, it’s sad, but it’s arguably better than forgetting.
You are formally invited to Casa Del Burr this year, Sturge.
You can watch me yank a C6 out of muh truck and slap in a T5 manual while making snappy comments and smoking Marlboros.
@Aaron Burr, What a wonderful invitation! You are so kind-hearted and I hope he takes you up on it. Sounds like a perfect guy thing on Thanksgiving.
I also paid 300 bucks for a pair of Hookers.
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Headers. Hooker headers. Perv.
He can stand over the engine dropping ashes on me while I’m under the truck juggling the starter and the pipes.
Thanksgiving 1971, the night before my friend and I were on our way home from Portland to Spokane to spend Thanksgiving with our families when we heard Paul Harvey announce on the 5 O’clock radio news that DB Cooper had hijacked a Boeing 727 out of Seattle, of course at the time we didn’t know the full details but I still remember Paul Harvey breaking that news of that hijacking. Thanksgiving 1972, I had just graduated from Navy Boot camp the week before and my company of recruits all went to Balboa Park and the San Diego Zoo. The Saturday after all the graduating recruits went to Disneyland for the day. I think it cost about $15 – $20 apiece back then. And for Thanksgiving 1973 some guys from my squadron and I received a free Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings from a restaurant in downtown San Diego because we were shipping out for a Westpac cruise the next day on Friday aboard the USS Kitty Hawk CV 63. We were gone from the day after Thanksgiving 1973 until the middle of July 1974 when we finally returned to San Diego after being out at sea for nearly 8 and a half months and more than halfway around the world. In 1974, I had dinner at the base chow hall at NAS Miramar just N. of San Diego. I remember that year in particular because I saw an actual road runner on our way over to the chow hall, it was one of few times that I ever saw a road runner, they are such goofy looking and fast birds. Since then I’ve been home every year celebrating Thanksgiving with my family in one way or another. Happy Thanksgiving everyone and please don’t let the turkeys (you know who the turkeys are) get to you and spoil your Thanksgiving celebrations.
Sturge NOVEMBER 24, 2020 AT 8:33 PM
Where you located bunkie? As in approximate by area of what state?
Thinking an invite would be happily extended from anyone close to you in the IOTW Family.
If you’re not interested you’re cheating yourself and one of us. Might not care for the bill of fare, but still good to personally meet those from here. Ask Ghost!
I’ll check back later to see if the details are being worked out.
As a child we would sleep under the tree on Christmas Eve with our pillows and a quilt. Then after fell asleep dad would carry all four of us youngest to bed. It happened every year until I was eight… and then he hurt his back moving furniture. Keep in mind (God bless him) that I was 5 out of 7 children. So he did it for my older brothers too even before I was born. :’)
Of course mom was the one who tucked us in under the tree and covered us with the quilt…
Christmas sure was special when I was little.
Oddly, I remember Thanksgiving overseas (military brat). Mom and dad invited the single co-workers who had nowhere to go over for dinner.
Man, was it annoyingly boring for a young kid. lol. But I guess I remember it because it sucked worse for them being in a 2nd or 3rd world country than it did for me.
Being stationed overseas is almost like getting abducted by a UFO. Almost like you were ‘missing time’ when you got back stateside. Maybe more so back in the day because there was no internet, cell phones and satellite TV.
Ugh. I’m old.
Sturge, anywhere near Southern Michigan? There will be all the usual Thanksgiving fixings and lots of them. We have plenty of room for you! I promise we won’t ask you to fix anything except your plate full of food!
I’m serious. You’re invited!
My Pop, Colonel Granpa’, started the Marine Corps Homeless Thanksgiving meal in Minneapolis back in the 70’s. I wonder if it’s still going on.
He and his gunny stole a navy bus from the navy auto graveyard, got it running and drove around the city picking up homeless people.
After being transferred out west, he kept up the Marine tradition of the most senior officer (my pop) inviting the most junior enlisted man home for Thanksgiving.
Man those kids sweated….. but it was fun as hell.
I only spent one Christmas overseas in 1973, we had just pulled into port in Subic Bay in the Philippines. It was an immense culture shock. I also called home collect to let my folks know that I was OK after we had a fire on board the Kitty Hawk a week or two earlier that had killed 8 sailors. I didn’t know if they had heard about it or not. I think it cost them about $20 for a 5 minute collect phone call but they were glad that I was OK.
Since about 1994 until 2017 we had to have two Thanksgivings — one with Jennifer’s family, and one with mine. It was ok in the beginning, but as time went on brothers-in-law became more and more obnoxious with drunkenness, and some sort of sports shit blaring on the television. And then all the children grew up to be fuckheads. Fuckhead parents begat fuckhead children. It became a drag.
Now I hear the sisters-in-law are legally smoking dope for various ailments. I can’t imagine hanging around potheads and drunks, especially people I really don’t like to be around even when they are sober.
My Mother is in the hospital, and Dad is with her, and Jennifer is working the four days of Thanksgiving… so Thanksgiving weekend will be Ian (my son) and me taking care of the animals at Mom and Dad’s house.
Wanted to go upstairs and rest my weary bones, but wanted to do this more. A miniature SNS post if you will…
From the late 40’s until Gram died it was Thanksgiving at her house (actually my aunt’s house who moved her in after Grandpa croaked) for a midday meal (almost a forty year run). Until about the sixties everybody dressed for the occasion with dress shirt and tie, a different time.
Then when I was old enough to hunt my contribution was ducks or geese (two if they were teal or woodies, one if a mallard or goose) in addition to the turkey she would make. Selfish on my part because my mother wouldn’t touch the wild game and as an early teen my cooking skills weren’t developed. Gram did them up to perfection with apple dressing. Also provided an opportunity to stick it in one of my uncle’s ass who I didn’t care for. As exampled by the time he saw the duck being placed on the table in front of me and said, “Duck, oh I love duck!” Ma said “Oh he’ll share with you.” Gram said, “That’s Jimmy’s duck!” Ate the whole damn thing plus without him getting a crumb. Many meals like that. If the cheap sob had perhaps contributed a box of shells he might have seen some of results.
Then after the dishes were done the cards came out and it was pinochle until the sandwiches around six or seven to be followed by more cards until going home around ten.
After gram passed Ma stepped up, but somehow it was never the same, because the comments were lacking. “Stop ruppling those cards so much, you’ll wear the spots off.” That and I don’t think she cared for that Uncle I disliked also. Old German stock who came over from Germany in the early 1900’s. Nothing was ever wasted and they knew how to make do… Nobody left from my side. Better end here or it will become SNS length.
Sturge, I’m northern IL about fifty miles northwest of Shitcago. Your welcome if you’re driving distance. Hell, I’d even pick you up if I wasn’t working 4 – 12 shift and have to leave right after dinner.
Location?
I’m being hypocritical. In the old days I did sit around with Phil and my Brother and drink some beers and smoke dope. We talked about work and family — shit that mattered to us, and had a hell of a time.
These people, on the other hand, don’t talk about anything. They are retards sober, and downright stompable when they are fucked up.
Sorry about the hypocrite part. I have nothing against hardworking intelligent people who tip the bottle and smoke a little grass at the end of the day.
@Anymouse – you are a good man to make that offer. I know. WE met YOU.
@Sturge – you would be WISE to take up a good mans’ offer^^^^^…or to go to visit @Claudia.
You will come away better for it…for even the two hours spent…and the few hours on the road after.
Ghost
Thanks for the invites everyone; it feels good to be remembered!
I’ve already committed to look after my neighbor’s dog and cats while he’s off visiting his family.
Love all the stories but Tony R and Different Tim made me laugh the most. Still laughing…. 😂
Sturge NOVEMBER 25, 2020 AT 7:12 AM
Maybe next year and I do understand that critters are most often preferable to humans.
Sturge, I agree with Anymouse. But what about Christmas? Don’t know where you live, but I’d love to extend the invitation for Christmas. I’ll even get a present for you!