Thanksgiving. The word alone fills me with joy. I am not really sure why, though. Food? Sure, but to be honest, the type of food that is normally served for Thanksgiving meals is not even close to being my favorite, so although it is good, I don't crave it at any other time. Football? Pass. I can watch for about 10 minutes before I am so confused, my brain starts to itch. Family? Hard to say; it's been so long since I had one. Maybe it's the just the idea of what it represents. Maybe it's the fact that the best shopping in the world happens the day after. Maybe it's the notion of Christmas being 4 weeks away. Like I said, I am not really sure what it is, but I love this holiday more than any other. So, in the spirit of this fine celebratory day, let's do a little self-reflecting.
What are you thankful for? Don't be hasty in answering, really consider the idea of thankfulness. And while we're on the subject, tell me about the best Thanksgiving you ever had. What made it so special and memorable? How about the worst one? Do the two have anything in common? Do you have any family traditions? Will you carry them on when you have families of your own? Do you celebrate Thanksgiving at all or do you do something else? (While not traditionally a religious holiday, some people are philosophically opposed to the idea of it, for obvious reasons)
And finally, what is your favorite part of the day? If it's the food, tell me what your meal consists of, if it is family, talk about why. If it's football (J.W.), well, explain something that will make me understand the game so I can watch it for longer than 10 minutes. (400-450 words/50pts)
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Well, i should probably be finishing my RRL's right about now but i saw this and was actually thinking about this question today, unbeknownst to me that this would be the blogging question of the week, so i decided i had to do this instead.
Well for starters. I have a lot to be thankful for really. I have a family who love me, friends who are there for me, etc, etc. But today i was able to see my cousin who was has been over in iraq for the past two years. He is like the older brother i never had because we are so close and this is the first time i have seen him since he left. I was so happy when i found out he would be home in time for thanksgiving. Ironically enough i found out when i got home after Cervi showed a video of a soldiers homecoming. I am so thankful that he is alive because everyday people are getting killed over there. The fact that he is alive and that I got to see him is probably the thing I am most thankful for this holiday season. Other than that like I said. I have a family who loves me and friends who I can count on no matter what. I am lucky that I don’t have just one “best friend” either. I have four. Four people who no matter what are that shoulder to cry on, that person to talk to. I also have swimming. I found something I love at an early age at life and am decent at too. It is such a relief to have swimming sometimes no matter how corny that sounds. I know that after a hard day of school or an argument with my mother I can go vent in the water without taking my anger out on anyone.
My best thanksgiving ever was two years ago. The last thanksgiving without a “broken family”, the last thanksgiving before my parents got divorced. The last thanksgiving where there was no animosity or arguing with my mom. In turn my worst thanksgiving was probably last year. Long story short, I wanted my dad to come and my mom didn’t. Ultimately I won, he came, she was mad at me, I wasn’t too thrilled with her for personal reasons, and a whole bunch of other crap. Not my favorite thanksgiving.
Tradition wise, every year we go to my aunt betsy’s house and the same people come and we eat the same food. Basically the same every year. I will probably carry on these same traditions when I am older and have a family of my own. My favorite part of the day is DESERT! Haha even though I am usually stuffed from dinner the sweet and alluring smell of pumpkin, apple, blueberry, banana cream pies, along with some other pies and other desert pieces, just overcome me and I give in. and no I do not eat them all. I just pick one. But it is still my favorite part of the day. Oh and I do like watching the football too. It’s usually fun to listen to the adults arguing over which team is better and I always enjoy watching a good game myself.
What in the world am I thankful for? I am thankful for my family, my friends, my ability to play sports and to play multiple instruments, my personality, my car, and the list goes on. Where would I be if people didn’t like my personality and thought I came off as a loser that was antisocial? If I did not play sports, I would not have the friends I do today and I would not have experienced the heartbreak of a loss and the excitement of a hard fought win. If I did not play a musical instrument, I would not have experienced the beauty of classical music and the craziness of band competitions. I am thankful for all the experiences I have been thrown into whether they are pleasant experiences or not so pleasant experiences.
The best Thanksgiving I have ever had, had to be about 8 years ago. My whole family came over our house for Thanksgiving dinner. My mom found out the day before that my aunt and my uncle were coming down from PA, my smelly Auntie Em was coming, and so was my grandparents on my moms side and my grandma on my dads side. I was happy because my mom told Joe and I to clean our rooms, but my brother cleaned both of our rooms because I paid him to clean mine, only five dollars though. Then the fateful day came when all of our old smelly aunts and my dad’s smelly mom came to visit and start the argument of the century. My brother and I set the table and went upstairs to change into our corny Thanksgiving outfits that our corny mother decided to pick out for us. We were dumb and naive and actually put on the matching outfits that my mom sewed for us. I looked cute is plaid, but that’s beside the point. As the family gathered around the table full of icky things that I do not eat besides mashed potatoes and corn, the conversation began to flow. My grandfather began talking about football with my Uncle Charlie. I decided that I could get in on the conversation, so I got up and sat on my grandfather’s lap and began to ask silly questions. My mom thought it was cute, but the rest of the smelly old farts thought that it was un-lady like for me to move my seat and sit on my grandfather’s lap during Thanksgiving dinner. I can usually tell what my mom is thinking, sometimes I wish I didn’t but I knew what she was thinking as my family members were saying that I will turn out to be a tomboy and never get married. I started to chuckle and all eyes were on me. My mom gave me a quick shake of the head, because she knew I was going to say what she was thinking. I always did that at the wrong time when I was younger, but I enjoyed seeing the shock on people’s faces. Any ways, I turned to my Auntie Em and I said, “Bite me.” Then I tried to continue on with the silly questions about football. My grandfather gave me a high five and went along with my plan on avoiding the consequences of my actions. My brother began to laugh and that started a chain of laughing and the only one not laughing was my Auntie Em. All in all, my comment lightened the mood and the desert tasted the best, since I made it with my dad.
The worst Thanksgiving was, like Jeannie said, two years ago. We moved from house to house and ended up in a house where we had to renovate our kitchen because it needed to be gutted. Instead of having the home cooked meal, we ate at a stupid restaurant where they didn’t even sell a turkey dinner. I don’t like turkey or gravy or stuffing, but if my parents and grandma wanted turkey and all it’s gatherings with it, they couldn’t because the dumb restaurant did not have a turkey dinner special. It was lacking in everything that Thanksgiving dinner usually means for my family, so it was just another dinner out with the family. There was nothing special at all.
Our family traditions consist of the typical turkey dinner with pumpkin, peach, and blueberry pie. My dad also makes his pineapple upside down cake and a green jell-o pear mold thing. I think keeping the tradition, even if it means for me to cook something that I do not eat but others would, would be the likely thing for me too do when I have a family of my own. There is no reason for me not to carry on the tradition.
Just like Jeannie, my favorite part of the day is desert. I have a sweet tooth that waits all year long for the day where I can eat multiple sweet things and not get in trouble because the rest of my family is eating it too. I love having a glass of milk and a piece of pineapple cake in front of me. Since I do not eat turkey, I have extra room for desert and my mom never knows how I can eat two pieces from every desert that is set out on the table. I might be petite, but I do know how to pack in some food. Oh, and I almost forgot about the football games! Sitting around with my dad and talking about football always brings up the best Thanksgiving ever, and we can reminisce as we watch our teams beat whoever they are playing against. Desert and football make Thanksgiving worth waiting for all year long.
Yea, I know this is the common answer, but really these things are really what I am thankful for! The list really doesn’t end because I become thankful for new things everyday, but here are a main few. First is that I have an amazing family that loves me and I love them back. My family is the greatest thing and they will do anything for almost anyone. Secondly, I am thankful for having such good friends. They are also always there for me and understand things that other people don’t. I am also thankful for having shelter, food, and being free. Not everyone in the world has a roof over their heads and this makes me thankful for mine. And to add to that many people don’t have clean water and food to supply themselves and others with. Many people also aren’t free and can’t do many of the things us Americans take for granted. Overall, I am just thankful for everything that I have because not everyone is so lucky to own such things. All these things are so special because their mine. I take everything I own and know and treat it specially. The best Thanksgiving is every year to me. Every year is so fun filled and food filled also. I get to spend time with everyone in my family and some of their friends also. And really I never really had a bad Thanksgiving. The only thing that I do feel bad about is we don’t go to my mom’s side of the family, but this is made up for other times. My family tradition is every year my dad, mom, brother, and I go to my Mom mom and Pop pop’s house. All my family is there including some of there friends, girlfriends, boyfriends, and their other relatives. We all gather around a gigantic table and eat like crazy. There is so much food it lasts for like 5 days. And the eating, socializing, and everything else go on throughout the day and night. Then everyone leaves and usually returns the next day for leftovers. I hope to continue this on with my family and carry it on when I have my own family. My favorite part of this day is the food. At first are the appetizers. Then the main course begins. The family and friends sit around the enormous table probably seating over 30. There is a gigantic turkey usually two with stuffing, mash potatoes, cranberry sauce, green beans, broccoli, corn, biscuits, candied yams, apple cider, iced tea, wine, and so much more. As a family we eat and eat and eat until we are all stuffed. Then we sit around and talk for a while and then comes dessert. And let me tell you, there are like 15 different desserts. Cookies, pumpkin pie, lemon meringue pie, apple pie, blueberry pie, cherry pie, ice cream, and some other things too. This is the best time because they are all so sweet. And don’t let me forget everyone in my family, especially my Mom mom, are great cooks. All this food talk is making me so hungry and yet Thanksgiving is still 4 days away. Overall, food and family are just great. Every year more and more people come and it just gets better!
Commenting on Jeannie’s blog, I disagree. I just can’t pick just one dessert I usually eat them all! But I do agree with her when she says family and friends are always their and they are thankful to have. And as Felicia said Thanksgiving is worth waiting for all year.
Thanksgiving. A time where my crazy family comes together at my house, drinks, watched the Macy's Day Parade, and watches football. Oh yeah, the food is squeezed somewhere in between. Though my Thanksgiving is not nearly as eventful as Easter with my Dad's family, it's still one of my favorites.
I think the thing that I am most thankful for are the experiences that I've had in my life. Not everyone has a great birthday party every year with balloons, presents, and an ice cream cake. Few people go on yearly vacations with their best friend. There aren't many who can say they have gone to Europe before high school. Then again, many people can't even say that they have gone to school. And for those things I am thankful. But I guess that brings me to my family. Without them, none of what I stated previously could have happened. No great birthday parties, excursions around the world, and maybe not even school. I can't imagine a life without my family, there to support me and cheer me on whenever they possibly can. And I am thankful for my friends, the only people in the world that I feel I can share anything with.
My best Thanksgiving so far was probably about 4 years ago. It was a year that my dad's family was with us for Thanksgiving. We were all seated at the table, eating dinner. And of course, my cousin Jimmy was doing absolutely nothing and my two brothers were still hysterically laughing at him. We were making jokes all night, from Grandmom falling asleep after her second glass of wine to things we had seen on TV. It was the most fun the kids of the family had had together in a while, and we all still talk about it to this day.
The worst Thanksgiving I had was three years ago, the year my grandmother insisted on having it at her house. This was a year my mom's family was with us for Thanksgiving. Now, Thanksgiving, no matter which side of the family, is always held at my house because we have the most room. My grandmother's house is considerably smaller, but this didn't matter. She made a stink until my mom and two aunts finally gave in. She's stubborn. So, my cousins broke a lamp, my grandmother was pissed off the whole night, and my brother was throwing up everywhere. Not the best Thanksgiving.
The only Thanksgiving tradition I can think of is that my mom always buys these little chocolate turkeys wrapped in colored foil and puts them as placemarkers for the kid's table. If I can find these little turkeys when I get older, you can bet they're going to end up on my table, too.
Okay, my favorite part of the day. Well, it used to be waking up at 8 in the morning to watch the Macy's Day preview show and then the parade. However, since band took over my life freshman year, I haven't been able to do that. I have had to wake up at 7 to be at school by 8, perform the field show at either before the game or halftime depending on where the game is being held, and then rush home to catch the last bits of the parade. And I usually miss Snoopy, my favorite balloon. I also like the dessert part, as the three people before me have already said. But my favorite part is not a traditional Thanksgiving dessert like pumpkin pie or something. Every year for any holiday, my mom makes cheese tarts, which are like little cheesecakes with cherries on top.
P.S. I don't get football either.
Thanksgiving- a time to reflect on what you are grateful for in your life, a time to come together with family, and share memories over a meal of turkey and stuffing. I’ll start with my favorite part of Thanksgiving and that would have to be the food. Any excuse to gorge on food endlessly for hours is a-ok with me. The family part doesn’t really excite me because I always see my family. The football doesn’t either, although I enjoy watching football, I rarely ever watch football on Thanksgiving because I’m spending time with my family. Recently my Thanksgiving morning has changed a little to include playing at the Oakcrest/Absegami football game in the morning, which I enjoy as an end to band and football season. Our family traditions have changed throughout the years because my one set of grandparents moved to New Jersey from Georgia and another part of my family moved away. We don’t have any set traditions for Thanksgiving. However now it is becoming somewhat of a tradition to visit my dad’s side of the family for a late lunch Thanksgiving at my grandparent’s house then off to my mom’s side of the family for Thanksgiving dinner, which means I get two Thanksgivings in one day, back to back, which can become a difficult task. Although I love the food of Thanksgiving, I’m really not a big fan of turkey. I also do not like cranberry sauce or any kind of pie which seems traditional to Thanksgiving. Unlike Jeannie and Felicia, my favorite dish would have to be German salad from my dad's side of Thanksgiving dinner and on my mom’s side I can’t resist a home cooked macaroni and cheese casserole! All of which I look forward to year round.
Despite all family differences, my family always seems to get together on Thanksgivings, which in of its self is something to be grateful for. I am mostly grateful for my family. They have been there for me since day one and do so much for me that I tend to take for granted. Whether it be the daily trips to school or band practice or their commitment to travel with us, they are always there. My friends are also something I am very grateful for. They have helped me through some of my toughest moments and have given me endless amounts of advice and just a place to vent if I need it. I am also grateful for my boyfriend, happiness, my life in general, the opportunities that are available to me everyday, the freedom that I have, and just that my family is overall healthy and happy. These are all things that we take for granted throughout the year, which I think makes Thanksgiving even more important to give thanks for all of these things.
My worst and best Thanksgiving would have to be the same Thanksgiving day. It was absolutely the most memorable holiday I have ever had. One year, about five years ago or so, my family decided to travel to Chicago to visit our friends for the holiday. The drive was really long and we were just excited to get there finally and eat. We stopped half way through in western Pennsylvania, then would continue the rest of the way Thanksgiving morning. That morning on our last leg of the trip, we were in Ohio, and our car broke down. However, unfortunate for us this happened at like three o’clock on Thanksgiving day. Well, nothing was open in the little town we broke down in, and I mean NOTHING! Luckily we managed to get someone to toe our car to a local motel, which we had to wait to get someone to give us a room. We finally got a room and knew getting to Thanksgiving dinner was going to be impossible, so we tried to call anywhere, even a pizza place for dinner, but nothing was open. We ended up eating string cheese from our cooler and little bags of mini oreos and chips for our Thanksgiving dinner. It was the worst Thanksgiving meal I have ever had, but it was really memorable. We sat on the beds of this cheap motel room, watching football, and eating oreos for Thanksgiving. My grandfather had to drive from New Jersey with his trailer to get our car and we went on to go to our friend’s house where we had a belated Thanksgiving turkey, in which my dad tried helping get the turkey out of the oven and dropped it on the floor! Which of course peeled up the tiles of our friend’s kitchen floor, which had to be replaced. It was the worst, but we have looked back and laughed about it ever since. It was somewhat bonding and therefore was the best Thanksgiving as well.
I think being thankful is a concept that often gets looked over for its seemingly simple ideals. Not enough people truly reflect on what this means. So, what actually is thankfulness? I think its something along the lines of appreciating what you have through good and through bad, even if what you have isn’t much. Personally, I’m thankful for everything I have, but most importantly, the people that I know and have relationships with. As I listen to other people’s stories about their parents, I am thankful that mine are reasonable and that they give me a lot of freedoms. I am thankful for my brother because without him it might be too quiet. I’m also thankful for the people and friends I have in my town and church. Without them, life would be dull, but their quirks carry me through each week.
Now, on to the best Thanksgiving I ever had. I cannot specifically say that one Thanksgiving has ever stood out over the rest, but I’ve always enjoyed going over my grand mom’s house for Thanksgiving dinner. It’s quite amusing watching my big Italian family cram into the small kitchen. The men bring in the picnic table from outside in order to fit us all in one area, and setting the table suddenly becomes a big job. After waiting for what seems like an eternity, we finally get to dig in to the wonderful turkey, ham, mashed potatoes and corn that have been so taunting. I can’t ever remember having a bad Thanksgiving (in fact, I can’t seem to remember much about any holidays. Hmmm…maybe I should document all future holidays). But, my boyfriend did tell me of a particularly funny (although not at the time) Thanksgiving that his family had. His aunt took the turkey out of the oven and gave it to his uncle to carry to the table. Apparently, the pan was hot and he lost his grip. Needless to say, Thanksgiving dinner ended up on the kitchen wall, and his uncle. I think they ended up going out to dinner. In the best and worst situation, one thing remained constant: the family that shared Thanksgiving together. I really don’t have any Thanksgiving traditions except for saying a prayer before we eat, and I intend to carry that little tradition on when I have a family.
After some thought, the best thing I like about Thanksgiving is the fact that we have off school. Now, this isn’t as selfish as you think. It allows me to truly think about what’s going on in my life and why I’m thankful for it. I don’t think this would happen if I was in school, caught up on what assignment is due, and generally annoyed by the people who stand in the middle of the hallway without moving. Time is also a gift to be thankful for. And I can’t think of anyone who would understand this more than AP students.
Commenting on Jeannie’s and Felicia’s blog, I do not understand football, nor do I wish to. Don’t get me wrong, it’s always on at my grand mom’s house, but I get bored after about two minutes. Now, if they were dressed as turkeys playing football, that would be a different story.
What am I thankful for? I always have such a hard time limiting this to just a simple answer because, well, I'm a very thankful person. Like many people know the littlest things in life make me happy, so combining the litte and big things together to have a simple answer for this question is always hard. I guess I'm most thankful for friends and family. I'm thankful for the support they give me, the happiness they bring me, and for the times we share that I could never forget.
A lot of my Thanksgivings blur together because they are all very much the same. But, I guess if I HAD to choose, my best Thanksgiving would have to be two years ago. The turkey wouldn't cook soon enough, my mom flodded the bathroom by trying to get the "jello mold" out of the dish and forgot she was running water over it,ny vegetarian cousin ate the sausage stuffing and wound up throwing up all night, and basically it was a complete disaster. Dispite all this though, it was honestly one of the best Thanksgivings. We laughed at all the huge mistakes we made that almost ruined the night completely. We played so many games to pass time as the turkey was taking a year and a day to cook. In that day I realised how much my family meant to me, that these were the only people who would love me and all my flaws no matter what. The fact that no one lost their cool as we carried fifteen towels into my bathroom to soak up the mess showed just how much everyone would do for one another.
My worst Thanksgiving would definetly be when my uncle was in the hospital. We didn't have a dinner that year. We didn't really do anything. We spent the day before at the hospital, and then on Thanksgiving spent it home, doing nothing. It couldn't even really be considered as a Thanksgiving. Luckily though, the following year my uncle was back at home and sitting across from me at the table, arguing with my other uncle over who got the last turkey leg. It was just like the old times. =]
Every year my mom's side of the family comes to our house. We spend the whole day cooking and baking, and then around 3 everyone shows up. The guys watch the game as the women run around putting dishes and meals together. Then around 4:30 we all sit down to eat. All the cousins sit at one end of the table and everyone else sits at the other end. My family absolutely loves talking, so our discussions during dinner are usually ridiculous. My Aunt Kathy is one of the funniest people I have ever met. I think she remembers every detail of my brothers and me growing up so we usually hear about a hundred baby stories between the three of us. Then after dinner is over we usually wind up on the couches. We talk, watch the game, and then eventualy break out the games. Every year we play the "dictionary game." It's this game where we get the dictionary and someone has to look up any word. They say it out loud, write the definition down, and then everyone else writes down what they think it really means. Then someone reads every definition and someone has to guess which definition is the real one. We've made a lot of memories because of this game; stories that are usually told at the next Thanksgiving.
I will definitely have a Thanksgiving dinner when I have my own family. Whether or not it will consist of everything mine is, I'm not sure. I hope it is though, because I really do love the dicitionary game!
My favorite part of the day would probably have to be the talking. I laugh the hardest when I'm with my family. They really are the greatest people to have in a bunch.
Commenting on emily's blog. I completely agree about football. I get so bored and just don't understand it! But I think I really would like it if I just understood!
Although many people thoroughly enjoy Thanksgiving, I’d have to say it’s definitely not one of my favorites. Don’t get me wrong. I like it and all. I guess it’s just a reminder that my family sucks. We used to have family dinners with my parents, my grandma and my uncle on my mom’s side, and my dad’s sister, brother-in-law, and my three cousins. Now, we sort of all do our own things. My grandma always nags at us whenever she’s around and it gets pretty old. Between all the “stop playing with your hair” and “Samantha, don’t do that at the dinner table” and “Megan, get your elbows off the table,” it gets really annoying and practically unbearable. Two of my three cousins are away at college so it’s hard to get us all together.
Even though Thanksgiving is far from my favorite, I have a lot to be thankful for. I have great parents. My mom is the best and I love her to death. My dad…he’s something else. He gets on my nerves 99% of the time but at least he’s around and close to all of us. My sister is so different from me but at the same time, she’s a mini version of me. I’m also thankful for Dave because he’s the best guy in the whole wide world. I’m thankful for my friends because they always know how to make me almost pee my pants and laughter like that is something we all need. I have so much to be thankful for but there’s no way I could talk about all of it without writing a novel.
I don’t think I have a favorite Thanksgiving. I guess I liked them better when I was younger because I wouldn’t have to cheer out in the freezing cold for a team that’s going to lose. Sorry James. The only reason it’s fun, like Brittany said, is because you know it’s the end. (But I think she’s crazy for not loving cranberry sauce.) My worst Thanksgiving was this past year. My mom had to work and my sister, my grandmom, my uncle, and I all went out to eat where she was. My grandmom and my uncle don’t get along that great so my uncle’s extra quiet around her. He’s quiet to begin with so he barely says two words when he’s in her presence. My grandmom spent the whole night at the buffet, packing her plate a foot high with everything imaginable. I think she took four trips. Needless to say, I was embarrassed. She’s not the skinniest woman and for obvious reasons.
This past Thanksgiving was different than most but we still carried out our tradition. Treasure hunts. Every year for as long as I can remember, my mom would make up treasure hunts for me and eventually for my sister too. The clues used to be easy, like a picture of the refrigerator. Now, it takes us about an hour to finish it all. At the end, we get a prize, which is normally chocolate. I love Thanksgiving food: the turkey, the cranberry sauce, the mashed potatoes, the corn. However, nothing can top the treasure hunt. It’s my absolute favorite and I don’t want to grow up because I never want it to stop. Once I have kids, I’m going to do the same thing for them because I know the excitement that it brings me every time my mom pulls out the first note card with a clue. Oh and I really liked the Thanksgiving where my whole Dad’s side of the family came over and my mom caught the turkey on fire. That was funny, even though I don’t remember it at all.
Wow, I have so many things that I should be thankful for, first of I’m thankful that I have such a big caring family. There are times where we argue and fight, but really are we going to separate just because we disagree on one thing? No, I can’t really say my parents are fair on a lot of subjects but I completely love them with my heart along with all my siblings. They’ve been there throughout some of my worst times and better times, I have to say my parents have been through so many burdens that I don’t really care if I don’t get the same privileges as some ordinary teenagers have. I’m just thankful that I have a huge and together family. The second thing I’m thankful for is probably all my teachers, I mean there are some pretty bad teachers who can’t teach anything, of course not you Bunje, that I feel should just go and pick up trash around the darn school. But I still admire all of them, because they’ve made me stronger bits by bits. In college the teachers may be worst and maybe I won’t be able to understand them and the teachers who don’t really teach have taught me how to learn from the book and be okay. It’s not a big thing to be thankful for but everyone needs a little praise once and a while. Not only am I thankful for the bad teachers, but especially the great teachers. They’ve been teaching me how to get things right, even if I have to do the assignments a million times until I get it right. They’ve been there and they’ve been a lighthouse standing tall showing me the way. I’m really thankful for all the people, good and bad, they’ve been there to witness my life, they’ve stood there watching me even if they’re the ones trying to knock me over. I’m still thankful to them being there and alive, changing my life. I see so many people on the streets coughing and dying from starvation and or loneliness, I know people who haven’t even the courage to stand up and smile. I feel selfish and greedy, knowing that they have nothing in their lives to live for, and all I do is whine for the attention I want and for the clothes that I don’t need. But I have to say that I’m utterly thankful for the things I already have and the family I’ve been blessed with. I don’t know what I would do if everything I have suddenly disappear. Thank you God for blessing me with my life.
Let’s see now, my best Thanksgiving must be the time where my dad’s 2nd cousin came over and my other relatives in NJ. It was such an amazing feast, and of course, we had to put a little bit of American culture in it by placing a huge turkey in the middle of the table, surrounded by little fried wontons on the plate. We also had probably hundreds of plates around the table with Vietnamese food. Like Danny, we always make food that lasts for more than five days. It was a huge gathering and we all had a great time, afterward we all started searching through the papers and cutting coupons.
I have to say that I never really had a bad Thanksgiving. It’s always been very festive and we’re all familiar with each others interests.
Our family tradition consists of the family eating at my house. All the little kids would eat at the Kids room and the adults eat at the dining room. We usually have soup that my dad makes and I guess searching for sales on papers would be a very classic tradition in my family. I really like the ideas we have during Thanksgiving and I believe I would definitely keep the Vu tradition!
Ahh..my favorite part during Thanksgiving has to be the togetherness, I love hanging out with my cousins. Afterward, I can’t wait for the shopping day to begin!
Alot of people have a hard time stating one thing they are thankful for, but I can simply say that I am thankful for my life. Everything about my life I love. I love my family, my friends, my talents, my intelligence, my sense of humor, everything. I am so thankful to have the people in my life that I do to develop me into the person that I am. Without my parents being responsible and caring, I would be a screw-up, wasting my life away. They care for me and keep me out of harm and trouble, just like my friends. My friends are the reason I wake up in the morning. Without them, there would be no fun in my life. I could sit at my house all day hanging out with my parents and it could be the most fun I ever had. They are laid back and humorous and I can talk to them about anything. I am thankful for that. I'm thankful to have that in my life and to get those feelings I do when I am with the people I love. Life is so important to me. To have the things I do in life makes me thank whoever I believe in everyday and wish for nothing else.
Every year, my dad makes the traditional turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, rice, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin pie. Of course I don't eat all of it because I am the pickiest eater ever, but I enjoy having so much to choose from and all those leftovers after Thanksgiving. We always eat around lunch time and then go to my Aunt Claudia's for dessert. Being with my family has to be my most favorite part about Thanksgiving. Yes, they are all uptight, spoiled brats, but they are my family and I love them.We are all wild and crazy which makes things very interesting when we are all together in one house.
Other than making the same foods every year, we don't have any other traditions. Even if we did, I wouldn't carry them to my own family. I would make new traditions with my husband that are our own that we created together. Plus, we might have different traditions and mashing them together could cause controversy. So making new ones would just solve the problem without fighting and we could have our own personal Thanksgiving to how we want it.
So Ms.Bunje, you said, "Thanksgiving. The word alone fills me with joy," and I completely agree. Sitting here, I cannot wait to sit with my family and laugh at everything and eat so much good food. I can't say that it is my favorite holiday, but I can say that I love it. You don't have to buy presents for anyone, all you have to do is be with your loved ones and it makes your day complete.
When I think of Thanksgiving, I think of a big turkey dinner at my grandparent’s house, with all our family and being together. It’s something about the holiday season that makes people seem to get more cheery than usual and just get along. I really haven’t had a favorite or worst Thanksgiving because they all have been the same. Well actually, not really. Throughout my soon to be 16 Thanksgivings, the number of seats and plates set at the table have wavered. Now that I think about it, I can’t actually remember the last time my whole entire family ate Thanksgiving together. My great grandfather and great aunt passed away, my dad got divorced, and well I’m not going to feel pitied over these events in my life, but it’s reality. That’s sort of what the holidays remind me of; the people that aren’t here to celebrate it. This is also something that I can relate with Thanksgiving. When my mom and dad got divorced I would have to eat Thanksgiving with one side of my family and then the next year switch. I don’t know how a parent can bring that onto their child, but that’s what I had to deal with. I hate to admit it, but I hated eating at my mom’s parent’s house. The food never tasted cooked, the turkey wasn’t juicy and, I didn’t get that same warm feeling I did at my Grammy and Poppy’s. On my mom’s side I have like 58237532859 cousins so we don’t even sit at one table together an eat. It didn’t even feel like a Thanksgiving is supposed to feel.
Even though I said we always eat dinner at my grandparent’s house, well that’s a little fibblet. We’ve eaten at my house and my aunt and uncles house, too. My grandfather’s tradition is to make this sweet potato thing, even though I don’t care for sweet potatoes, but I’ll never forget that smell of them cooking away in the oven. I just hope that one day when I get married and have kids we will make our own new tradition. I want it to be with the people I care about, and who care about me, family or not. I want to sit down to a delicious feast with the people I love and that’s all that matters. Not splitting up the tables or switching from house to house with my two different families. I’m going to make sure that doesn’t happen. It’s always going to work out, because for some reason Thanksgiving just brings everyone together.
My favorite part of the day would have to be visiting with my family. Sometimes my Aunt Jane and Uncle Larry come up from Florida and since we don’t get to visit often, it brings everyone closer when they arrive. Anytime with my dad’s side of the family is the greatest, even though I see them all the time. I don’t know where I would be without the love that pours out of them. It just feels right.
Oh man, I just realized I didn't comment on someone else's blog. I completely agree with Hannah. I, too, have traveled to Europe, twice, and I'm only 16. I really am thankful for that. I'm thankful that my grandparents love me so much and enjoy going on these vacations. Without those experiences, what would life be?
I'm thankful for basically what everyone else is thankful for, starting with my family first. I didn't used to be able to talk to my mom, but now I tell her everything that goes on in my life and I like that a lot better. I have a dad that lessens punishments my mom makes at me, makes me laugh, and would do anything for me. I have a brother that unlocks my door using a bobby pin, makes it his life mission to get to the front seat of the car before I do, and one that interrogates any boys that come over, even if they are clearly friends. I'm thankful that I finally think I can say I know who my true friends are, and I love hanging out with them more than anything. I'm thankful for beach patrol, surfing, and summer. I'm thankful for being able to normally be a positive person, for being able to laugh at myself, and for being able to have fun with everything almost I do.
The best Thanksgiving I ever had was last year. Normally I like being home for Thanksgiving, but last year I was "home." For Thanksgiving break, my family and I went to Grand Caymen Islands (in the Caribbean), and it was one of the best experiences of my life (besides beach patrol. hahaha in csse you're wondering because you weren't in my class to hear my OP, I really am obsessed.) We were there for a week and a half and it rained every single day except the first one. We made the best of the rain, and I can absolutely say that anywhere that is warm, has palm trees, and sandy beaches is truly my home. Anyway, our hotel had a special Thanksgiving buffet, and we ate there, poolside, by the light of the moon. I think I liked it so much because it dawned on me that I NEED to live somewhere like Grand Caymen when I grow up. Some rich surfer boy needs to marry me first to make this possible.
I don't really have a "worst" Thanksgiving. My parents aren't divorced, but I can only imagine how much drama a Thanksgiving dinner would cause. I forgot to say that I'm also thankful that both sides of my family get a long really well, so we can all have a huge Thanksgiving together at my house (that's this year's plan.) Our family tradition is definitely the mashed potatoes. The recipe is more from my dad's side (Polish of course), and it is SO GOOD. A couple of years ago I was lucky enough to learn the recipe for the mashed potatoes, and I even got to mash them. The only real dispute my family has on Thanksgiving is on how to mash the mashed potatoes. My mom's side believes they should be whipped with beaters, and my dad's side goes old school with the metal hand masher. I like my dad's method better, I have to say.
When I grow up, I'm going to keep this tradition. I hope that when I get older I can gave the annual Thanksgiving dinner at my house. Except, of course, my whole family will have to fly out to Grand Caymen/Fiji/SOME tropical island in the middle of nowhere. I'm not really sure which island yet, so I'll just have to leave it up to my pro surfer husband.
"It’s something about the holiday season that makes people seem to get more cheery than usual and just get along."
I agree with Bec. The Christmas/Thanksgiving spirit is the only thing that gets me through the cold of winter.
Like most of my classmates have already said, I truly am thankful for so much. My family is the typical HUGE Italian family that spends every holiday/birthday/special event together. The aunts and the uncles and the cousins and the grandparents and the great grandparents. Everyone has their certain dish that they bring every year, and since they've been bringing the same food for so many continuous years, comments are always directed to how it used to taste compared to now. I can't think of one year where I haven't heard "Barbie, those mashed potatoes are so buttery this year! Remember the one year where you forgot to add butter?" or "Ginny, the turkey is so juicy! Remember last year when you left it in an extra half hour?" But I honestly would not have it any other way. I love my family to death and am so thankful for them. Even the way things are lately,(as you know from my occasional paper) there's never a moment I doubt my love for any of them. After I read Jeannie's blog, I realized how great I really do have it. I should be thankful. She talked about her "broken" family, and I couldn't even imagine spending Thanksgiving like Rebecca said she does, with one side of the family each year. I think it's tough and I give so much credit to the people who are accustomed to those traditions. Also, I'm thankful for my friends, of course. Like Megan said, I'm thankful for the friends who know how to make my pee my pants laughing (literally) when I'm not in the best of moods. I am also, though, thankful for my health. I am thankful that I'm living with all four limbs, all ten fingers and toes, and without any major problems. I feel lucky to be alive and healthy and I truly am thankful for that.
Every Thanksgiving has pretty much been the same for me. There's always the same large family that sits around the table every year; so many people that there has to be a "kids" table and "adults" table. The main table always consists of the typical Thanksgiving Day food, my second favorite meal of the year.
When I think Thanksgiving, I am reminded of the countless years I spent sleeping over my cousin's house the night before and waking up at four in the morning to go to New York for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Every year for about six or seven years, my cousins and I were in the parade because my uncle has some head honcho job at Macy's. I'm still not exactly sure what he does. But every year we'd be in the parade, whether this meant dressing up like a skunk one year to be on a float with Emeril, or throwing confetti around as a clown. It was such a tradition until my cousins and I decided we'd rather sleep in and stay home. Yet, all of those years still qualify as the "best years" of Thanksgiving for me. It's an experience that not a lot of people can say that they have and it's actually really fun. My worst Thanksgiving had to be the Thanksgiving where my cousin Allison, who is my age, accidently dropped the turkey slices that my aunt had just carved, onto the floor. At first everyone was just in shock. There was no immediate yelling. We all just kind of stood there and watched for a couple of seconds. This then followed with my cousin running up to her room, hands covering her face, sobbing, screaming "I RUINED THANKSGIVING!" I remember cracking up at the time because it was so hilarious and over-dramatic of her to do, but now that I think about it, it kind of sucked not having all that turkey, and spending an extra hour and a half alone with my obnoxious grandpop while Allison decided to hide out in her room. Plus, it was the first year that we didn't attend the parade, so I remember being upset about that, too.
I really do hope that my family traditions are carried on throughout most generations. Even though I know everyone in my family will start passing away eventually, I'm sure someone will pick up the tradition and continue to have it at the same house for as long as we can. Maybe my cousins and I will acquire the recipes that our parents have each year and use them for our own meals. It'll be different without the grandparents and certain aunts and uncles though after they die, because we haven't lost anyone from the Thanksgiving table yet. When my whole entire family is altogether, it's such a blast and everyone always has a good time. From the men eating as much as they can as fast as they can so that they can relocate to the living room for some football, to hearing the mothers and the grandmothers talk about who used the most salt in which dish and who didn't use enough, to the kids running around and having a good time. This is why, to answer the last question, my family is my favorite part of the entire Thanksgiving Day.
I am thankful for just being alive and being able to spend time here on earth with all of my friends, family, and being able to plays sports. I am most thankful that I have parents that love me and take care of me to the fullest. My mom does everything for and with me and I do not know what I would do without her. She takes me EVERYWHERE and makes sure I complete different goals I set out to do. My mom is my best friend and without her in my life I would not be here nor be the person I am today. My family and friends have had strong impact on my life and helped make me the person I am today and therefore I am thankful that they are in my life.
Well, I am loved all of my Thanksgivings so far. Every Thanksgiving my family comes over my house or we go to my aunt or cousin’s house and we eat a huge dinner. There was one Thanksgiving though that was different than the rest. This one stood out among all the others and I don’t think any one in my family will ever forget this Thanksgiving. When I was younger my brother use to play Rec soccer and my dad was the coach, well this boy from Africa named Big Boy, joined the team. He didn’t understand many American customs yet and didn’t even know what an ice cream sundae was. We use to take him and these two other boys who were Spanish out for ice cream after games and drive them to and from games. Well, Big Boy on Thanksgiving one year decided to invite us to his house for dinner. Everyone was real nice and the food was a little different and some food was real spicy. There were these bread balls that you could dip into this hot sauce, not knowing my brother completely emerged the bread into the hot sauce and ate it and his mouth was probably burning for an hour. After that adventure, we got home and my neighbors who are Puerto Rican asked us to come over their house for dinner also. Since our family isn’t one to turn down food we headed over to their house and ate some Spanish rice and some other foods that they were custom to. Well, you would think the day would be done with all the food, but then you wouldn’t know my brother. My brother, Ricky, lives by traditions and doesn’t usually break them. So he insisted that we need to eat our typical American Thanksgiving dinner and that’s just what we did. Sat down at out dining room table and ate the turkey just like every other year. By the end of that Thanksgiving I was exhausted and went straight to bed.
I really can’t think of any terrible Thanksgivings. When I was younger there might have been some Thanksgivings that were boring because we didn’t have family over or something along those lines. My family and friends are what either made my Thanksgivings enjoyable or not so good. Whenever I had family over I enjoyed myself or when we went to the international Thanksgiving I enjoyed it also.
I will definitely carry on family Thanksgivings. I love getting together with the family once in a while and just sitting around eating food, entertaining the young and the old people and watching football. This year I think I have started to enjoy watching football more and now I feel like bonds with my brother and older cousin and uncle are formed because we all go down into the basement and watch football. I will probably be like my cousin when I get older and she has two little girls and a husband and every holiday she either goes to our family dinners or her husband family’s dinners. They are also out continuing on the traditions of Thanks giving and family holidays.
I would have to say my favorite part of the day is probably the food. I could say that but I think hanging out with my family and watching football has the same amount of importance as eating. Thanksgiving in our family always has the same food made and every year it just seems to taste better and better. The only thing I don’t like is we eat dinner really early, like at 2, and no one is hungry until later. Since my mom’s side of the family is not going to be able to meet on Thanksgiving we just had our dinner on Sunday. We ate when I arrived after my soccer game at 4 and it tasted much better since we were all hungry and I had just burned off all the food in my stomach before I got to the house. I inhaled the turkey and mashed potatoes and vegetables right away then enjoyed some sweet potatoes and cranberry sauce right after. Jeannie said in her blog that she enjoys the desert the most. I would definitely have to agree!! But then she went onto say she doesn’t eat it all and only chooses on desert. There is no way I can do that. I have to at least have a bite of everything. I have a strong sweet tooth and never can make up my mind so I just eat it all. Wow, now I sound fat.
I’m not trying to answer this “in haste.” I honestly thought about this, not only tonight but everyday of my annoying teenage life. Okay, maybe not annoying, but when I get in fights with my mom practically everyday, I am honestly thankful for happiness, and the opportunity for happiness. Happiness is what keeps life moving forward. Of course I’m thankful for my family, but if they are not happy and I am not happy what does the importance of their presence in my life actually make me thankful for. Alright, maybe this isn’t coming out the right way, but think about it: sure, you love your parents, siblings, pets, whatever, but if they cause you sadness or pain or they aren’t happy what is there honestly to be thankful about. My mom constantly yells about how I’m so ungrateful, it’s like the only word she can use to describe me when she’s mad because I’m really not a bad kid and it pisses me off that she has to call me that all the time because I am so grateful for so many things..if they bring some type of happiness to my life, that is. I am thankful for my friends, not the drama they come with but for the good memories we make. I am thankful for my school (dumb, I know), not for its ridiculous amount of stress it burdens me with, but for the amazing life-long experiences and fun it brings me. How can somebody be thankful for anything that brings them sadness?
Everyone always has that one amazing holiday where they always try to top it or at least match it the following year and it’s always a disappointment, never amounting to that perfect holiday. Well, that’s one thing I’m definitely not thankful for. I hate having one perfect night. Why can’t every night, or at least a few be perfect? It’s always just one. Anyway, ONE Thanksgiving, at my aunt’s house, as always, I watched the annual parade on television with my Pop-pop, shared some good laughs, stirred gravy (the best and only thing I know how to do when preparing dinner), ate tonsssss of food (all mushed into one huge pile of course, ate more food, and then some more, talked about funny, old memories when our parents were younger (gotta love those), ate dessert, and played board game, after board game, after board game (we’re quite the Gamers). Those moments shared with my family were some I hope NEVER to forget, but it’s been a while since I’ve experienced any type of moment like that. I understand I’m getting older but why do things need to change. Seriously, why? Now all those memories are being replaced with worse ones. For instance, the Thanksgiving following the ultimate perfect one, consisted of my grandmother dying the night before. Can you even imagine what was said during grace?! My family was torn apart. It was horrible. Instead of sharing laughs during the parade on T.V with Pop-pop, I was watching him painfully look through photo albums, with my mom and aunts, deciding which pictures to put up at the funeral. Then, as if that Thanksgiving could not go any worse, the following year’s was an embarrassing disaster. My sister was hitting the peak of her teenage crap and her and my mom were complete enemies. Before, during, and after dinner was hell. They seriously were screaming at each other the whole night and my mom had to drive my sister home, an hour away. I can only imagine how that long car ride went. I sat at the dinner table mortified and ashamed to say that’s who I live with. Of course, Lauren and my mom are best buds now. She’s older and mature and quite the little darling. That’s when I come in. For over a month, my mom and I have been having the most ridiculous arguments-over nothing! Everyday it’s the same crap and I honestly don’t do anything wrong! My mom takes all her stress or problems she has in her “adult world” and takes it out on me, putting blame on me. Ugh, I can only imagine what our fight will be about on Thursday. Oh no, what if I drop a pumpkin pie or something...the world may come to an end. Okay, so maybe I’m being a little sarcastic, but that’s seriously the only way I get through the day when I have to deal, and yes I said deal, with my mom’s annoying, pointless junk.
As for family traditions, we’re all about family traditions. Our behavior may change, but are days are planned the same. I love traditions and never plan on breaking them. If my husband has his own, I will definitely add them to mine but there is no way I’m getting rid of mine, screw compromising =).
The best part of Thanksgiving Day is the happiness, like I stated earlier. Everything that builds up the happiness is all good but no food, no parade, no board game will matter if the people I share it with aren’t enjoying themselves. After all, isn’t that what coming together as a family is all about? Even if I had to spend Thanksgiving, or any holiday at that matter, at a bus stop in the middle of Peru with a gross rash and broken leg, I would still love it as long as the people I love are there with me and we’re happy. I love happiness! It’s just that simple. Thanksgiving is happiness. Life is happiness, if you don’t let the little stupid, pointless things get to you, of course.
As for commenting on someone’s blog, I agree with practically everyone, Jeannie, Felicia, Danny, etc. that yes, family and friends are definitely people to be thankful for, but like I said, not to sound weird or “ungrateful,” but if they don’t bring any happiness to you, are you REALLY thankful for them?...okay I seriously sound so heartless and cruel right now but I hope you guys know what I’m trying to say lol…trust me I love my family and friends!
Thanksgiving is around the corner this year and its not something I’m moved by for once. It seems to me as I get older the holidays just become just another day and I wait for it just to go by.
They say you should give thanks for what your thankful for everyday but I guess on thanksgiving it should mean a lot more. I’m thankful for a lot of things. The main thing I am thankful for though is the life of my mom. She is a strong woman who has been through so much but yet still finds the drive every morning to get up and do what she has to do. My mom always told me that family and friends might be around while I’m here and act like their going to be there forever but as soon as I’m gone slowly but shortly they will be too. I really believe this, I don’t think there’s no one on this earth that can care and nurture you like your parents. My mom is someone I adore and though we may have some of the worst fights where I cant stand her; at the end of the night I always say “Lord thank you for everything she does for me”.
As far as my most memorable thanksgiving I would have to say it occurred while I was living in New York. Growing up I never had my father around and I still don’t now, but my mom meet this man that she ended up marrying and had my little sister for. He was as close to a father that I had my whole life. So every thanksgiving while they were still together I would spend it with his family; which was huge. So at the table we would all go around saying what we were thankful for and I would have to eat things I couldn’t even spell(that really bothers me),after the dinner all the kids would go down to the basement and we would just have fun all night. This still stands out to me because after I moved from New York to New Jersey things weren’t the same any more. Thanksgiving just became smaller, a hassle and everything else it shouldn’t be.
OMG the best part of Thanksgiving is when its done. You know after you finish eating and you just plop down on the coach and say your watching football but you end up sleeping until like three in the morning to wake up for black Friday. For me I cant say its eating the meal with your family and all that happy stuff because my family we always find a way to end up fighting or something around that lines. That’s one thing I don’t want to carry on. When I have a family of my own I hope that we will all be able to sit at the table together and enjoy the moments.
Commenting on what Emily said, I don’t understand football and Its just something that doesn’t tickle my fancy so I’m with you girl.
I should have known that this would be the blog for this week. It is a very cute one, I might add, Bunje. Kudos!
I know I have a lot to be thankful for. I have great friends, a great life, a great boyfriend, moderately to severely gifted, and a pretty good family most of the time. I have everything I could ever ask for and more, so I have all of that to be thankful for. Despite all that, Thanksgiving isn’t a great time for me. I am never so motivated to be thankful for anything because it is such a useless time for me. Thanksgiving always brings me to a time that is so not nice that I don’t think I can really even bring myself to be thankful for anything in my life. Even though I am truly thankful, I cannot feel it because of the baggage Thanksgiving comes along with. I can’t remember a time when I have actually liked Thanksgiving, so how can I say what or when was my favorite Thanksgiving? Every year has been absolutely horrible. Back when my parents were still together, I guess things were okay. We would go to my grandparent’s on my mother’s side’s house and have dinner there. Unfortunately, something would happen like my uncle would start fighting and yelling at my mom, or my brother would break something and incur the wrath of my grandfather. After my parents got divorced, things turned slightly worse. My brother and I would trade off years; we would celebrate Thanksgiving with my mother and her family one year, and then the next year it would be my fathers turn. Either way, it was not a good thing. At my mother’s, there would always be a shouting match going on because my family is so screwed up that no one can act civilly towards each other for more than five minutes. At my father’s, the family thinks I am a crazy person and I’m anorexic so I have to deal with their dirty looks and blank stares. Either way, I can honestly say that I have never had a good Thanksgiving and they all have been the worst.
My family’s traditions consist of me sitting there bored and not really eating. And of course my mother burning the biscuits. I really don’t like the food at Thanksgiving. The turkey is always too dry, the biscuits are alright (the non-burned ones that is), and the stuffing is usually bearable. My favorite part of this dreadful holiday is the part where I spend the least amount of time with my family, at the Oakcrest/Gami football game. The band performs, and the field is always torn up, muddy, and you can’t even see the lines. Last year I fell twice. Yet, it is always my best and most favorite performance of the year. Even the football team likes to get it shape and start playing good on that day. I am really looking forward to tomorrow’s Thanksgiving game and I hope the football team wins and our band knocks Gami out of the water so that I might actually have a good Thanksgiving for once. To Bunje, football is bearable if you are there and actually in on the action. So come to the game tomorrow! Thanksgiving Football on TV is boring anyway because it’s the Cowboys (gag me please) playing. Useless I say!
I probably will end up continuing the traditions of my family (assuming of course that I actually get married and have kids). I probably will celebrate with my husband’s family in hopes to spare my children from my screwed up family.
Oh, and I agree with Rosy; I can’t wait for shopping day after Thanksgiving. It’s the best. I’m going to the Walk with Courtney. YESS.
In my family, football is about the 3 F’s. Food, football, and family. Every year, it is to grandmom’s house we go with the rest of the family. After we eat a HUGE home cooked meal by none other than Grandmom herself, the boys watch football all day yelling at the TV as if the players can hear them and the girls gossip around the dining room table. It’s food, football, and family. No matter how you look at it, Thanksgiving wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without one of them.
The idea that Christmas is just 4 weeks away adds excitement to the day but usually tends to make people think greedier than thankfully. All the kids in the family sit around Grandmom’s house and talk about the latest new thing that came out and everything on their wish lists for Christmas. This gives all the adults an opportunity to get some ideas to wake up for in the morning (Black Friday). But before you get me started on what I want for Christmas, let me think about what I already have and what I am truly thankful for. My life, of course. I love my life. My family and friends make my life worth living. The food I eat, the clothes on my back and the roof over my head. I am pretty lucky to have everything I have.
It is hard to pick the best Thanksgiving I ever had because every year it is the same thing since as far as I can remember. We have the same family traditions every year. Every year there are new additions to the table the way people have babies and get married. I always enjoyed myself on Thanksgiving with my family. I hope to carry on the traditions of Thanksgiving my family had for me growing up to my kids. The other thing I probably won’t be able to carry over is Grandmom’s Thanksgiving dinner. There is nothing like Grandmom’s food. Chicken, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes. Yummm!! I cant wait for tomorrow!
I am commenting on Erin’s blog. It sounds like your dad can cook! Your Thanksgiving dinner sounds like its good. Bring some leftovers to homeroom on Monday!
Believe it or not, my family's Thanksgivings are not really that exciting -- even to an outsider.
First, my mom spends the entire Thanksgiving morning and Thanksgiving Eve making homemade pies (mmm Apple. mmm Banana Cream.), sweet potatoes, and her world famous cookies. I love waking up to the smell of her cooking and the multiple parades blaring in the background. And, after "sampling" some of my mom's delicious food, I get dressed to go over to one of my aunts' houses (on my mom's side). You see, my mom has four sisters, and they rotate the location of the Thanksgiving feast every year. This year it will be at my Aunt Sammy and Uncle Harry's house. Uncle Harry makes the best green bean casserole. Even if you don't like green beans, you will like his green bean casserole. So, my family gets dressed into something nice but not really like a suit and tie or anything fancy. Just a nice outfit. We then load up the car with the Thanksgiving goodies and head over to Vineland, where all of my mom's sisters live. Then, we watch the first football game, eat our feast while the second game is going on, and then watch whatever's on while eating dessert. We always talk about what's new and interesting and how delicious the food is.
Then, the next day, we travel to Deptford, where my grandmom lives, and have another feast there. We like to call it Thanksgiving II.
Every Thanksgiving is amazing for me. They are all pretty much the same routine, so there aren't really any "best" Thanksgivings or "worst" Thanksgiving.
And, as you can probably tell from my long explanation, the food is definitely my favorite part of Thanksgiving. I always get to see my family and football. But it is not often that I get to glut myself with amazing food. Sure, that might sound a bit "heartless," as Leslie would say, but I love my family's cooking.
And, breaking the trend of my entire blog about loving food, I would have to say that I am thankful for the miracle of life, like Rachel. Life is a precious thing and I am very appreciative that I get to enjoy its multiple experiences and meet all of its unique people.
Well at church Sunday, we were just talking about this. I realized I�m thankful for a lot. Most importantly, Jesus. At times when I feel worthless and see no point to anything, he is the one that truly keeps me going. Other people are my parents, my sister Amanda, the rest of my family (especially Rachel), my good friends, some pretty awesome teachers, and mostly everyone at church. Anyone who I truly like I am thankful for pretty much. I�m really thankful for my life. Life itself, yes, but my particular life is quite amazing, although I don�t view it that way much. I grew up with everything taken care of for me, I�m healthy, I�m smart, I�m athletic�I don�t have many complaints. And even some things that aren�t so great about me makes me thankful ( aka color blindness or other stuff). Also, people who are trying to succeed and not just go with the flow make me thankful everyday whether I realize it or not. Goals are what drive humans, the higher they are, the better a person strives, and the better they act. I just like it when people see life and reach for something and not just amble through it.
I just read through a few people�s responses and Danny said he�s thankful for being free. True dat! I can�t imagine a life where we can�t express ourselves but most importantly, we can�t practice any religion than the country offers. I think it would be good to secretly hold an underground church in those places, but it�s so much better openly worshipping God and being able to talk freely with others about Him.
Now my best Thanksgiving� I can�t remember really. We usually have it over my Aunt Lori�s house now and it�s the same every year but I love it. It used to be in mommom�s old house but they moved to some old folks� development then moved to NC. I remember always playing football or jailbreak. Those were always the best times. The food was always amazing, and still is, no matter what house I go to. The worst Thanksgiving�. I don�t have one. A few times we went up to North Jersey to have Thanksgiving with my mom�s side of the family and it wasn�t as fun as down here, but it was no worse. I never have bad holidays. We always have the same traditions no matter where we eat. It�s always turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes with marshmallows, corn, peas, rolls, and at least pumpkin pie. Thanksgiving is always good. So I guess that�s it, I got to go work on the game room at my youth group. And to end, no school and endless food are the best parts of Thanksgiving. Everything else just ties in to those two.
Our family’s tradition has always been to gather at our house of one of my mom’s siblings’ house. Thanksgiving would definitely not be the same without all the aunts, uncles and cousins, and of course my grandma. I really don’t like Thanksgiving, to be honest. I love having it, but I usually want the day to speed up. I don’t know, I guess my family is a bit boring. The only think to hold one over for hours is football and appetizers. I am not a football fan, and I’m not big on watching the Macy’s Day parade. However, I always look forward to Thanksgiving, especially the food, like Jake and everyone else. My grandma makes really good pie, and I love sweet potato casserole and gravy (separately of course). Unlike Jeannie, though, I like the dinner better than the desert. We have the usuals: turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potato casserole, cranberry sauce, jello mold, green bean casserole, some bread, and usually we drink sparkling apple cider. I can only eat so many sweets after a big dinner like that. I think I would carry on some of our traditions when I get older, but it would be a lot different. I think each of the families would split up, because I can’t imagine having 34 people all together, plus everyone’s children (probably another 24, actually there’re 3 already). It would be a lot different with just me, my brother, and my mom, but my brother’s a good cook so maybe it could work.
I don’t have a best or worst Thanksgiving. The ones when I was little and my cousins from Maine came and we’d all play hide-and-seek tag were the best. The funniest was when my dog tried to get the turkey carcass when we were all eating and it fell on him. Thanksgiving really isn’t the same anymore as when I was little. My grandpa died, my parents got divorced and we moved, 2 of my cousins got married and have kids of their own, my brother hasn’t been able to come since 2 years ago, and even my dog died, not to mention the fact that everyone is older.
I’m really thankful for a lot. I rarely think about it on Thanksgiving though. On Thanksgiving, I am generally thankful for all of the food. There’s so much to be thankful for, it’s kind of hard to just simplify it all into a concise list. Like Gary, I’m thankful for God and all the things he’s done for me and my church I’m thankful for the freedoms we have as Americans. I’m thankful for the money, houses and cars my family has that makes Thanksgiving possible. I’m thankful for my family, and the times we can come together, and the friends I have. I’m also thankful for holidays and the nice breaks off from school. I’m also thankful for the fact that there’s only a month left until Christmas! Even though I’m not a big fan of Thanksgiving, I love the spirit of it and I couldn’t imagine doing anything else but having it with my crazy family.
It’s the morning of Thanksgiving. I sleep in and wake up to the fresh smell of my mother cooking meals for Thanksgiving dinner at my grandmas’ house. The day has varied throughout the past couple of years. Usually our family heads to my grandmothers’ house on my moms side of the family. Two years ago we went to my uncle’s house because my grandfather was close to death and we wanted to spend our holidays with him. Thanksgiving is a day I look forward to. Not only do I get to see my cousins and the rest of the family, but it means only one month away from Christmas. We usually head to my grandma’s house around four o’clock. Most of the family is late and which makes me mad because we rush to get out of the house to be on time. This is the part of the day that I love. I walk into the house and I hear the warm greeting of my grandma and slowly behind her strolls my grandfather. “Hey pops! You ready to watch some football.” This is how I have greeted him every Thanksgiving. We head into family room or sunroom as my grandparents call it, and sit down and watch some football. Soon after we hear a loud, demanding yell coming from my grandmother telling us to get to the table. And that means get to the table. There is no fooling around or else my grandmother will give us a lecture. After dinner we head outside to have our annual football game against the neighbors who we aren’t on best terms with. We really haven’t had the best or worst Thanksgiving. They have all been the same. The year we went to my uncles I was upset, but once I got there I realized how much I had and how thankful I am.
Thanksgiving is a day where I realize what I am truly thankful for. My family has always been there for me. I am thankful that I have a beautiful girlfriend who makes me smile everyday and makes me happy. I am thankful that I have friends to look to even when I haven’t been the best of friend to them. Everyday there is a home cooked meal which I usually take for granted. On this day I realize how lucky I am to have my family members sitting around the table eating a great meal. There are families out there that don’t have this.
I would have to agree with Megan Rose Coburn. Thanksgiving isn’t my favorite, but it is up there with my favorite holidays. I’d have to say Christmas is. It is not because of presents anymore. It’s because of the long break and the time that I get to spend with my family and friends. Thanksgiving is very similar, but it doesn’t have a long break. Thanksgiving is a day where I reflect on what I have and how thankful I am. I hope everyone has a Merry Thanksgiving.
I'm going to start off by saying my family is kind of like Meghan’s. Thanksgiving used to be a very big special event, but once my pop pop passed the family just kind of broke apart. But I do not think thanksgiving or my family sucks, but I’m sure that’s just because the change of the holidays was under different circumstances.
Things I'm thankful for.. I can honestly say i am thankful to be alive, healthy, and as well off as I am. I am thankful to actually have food on thanksgiving. And even after everything we all go through I am thankful for my family and everyone in it because without them I would be alone in this world.
Thanksgiving memories.. This is kind of weird because I randomly ran into one of my cousins who now goes to college at the bowling alley. We were both so surprised and happy to see each other. WE talked about how our families were doing and then we took a little walk down memory lane. WE talked about everything we used to do for the holidays which are coming up. All of my thanksgivings used to be good they used to all be happy. My cousins and I were all like best friends we would put on plays and have talent shows to entertain the adults. WE would all cook together as a family. The whole night would be filled with laughter, from my screeching singing voice to my pop pop’s traditional line "hey you kids cut that out." After he left everything was different. The family tried to stay together but we all slowly drifted apart. The thanksgiving after his last was the worst. EVERYTHING was different. I had it at my mom’s house. We barely did anything. No interminable laughter. No talent shows. No plays. No cousins. No fun. This change was hard to get used to but after a while things got better and my sisters and I learned to make our thanksgivings fun no matter where they were spent. Through the years of spending thanksgiving with my mom, she allowed us to continue the tradition we used to have with my popup. We put up the Christmas tree and put on all of the ornaments after thanksgiving dinner, of course it isn’t the same, but it’s something. When I get older and have a family of my own I will keep this tradition going because it reminds of me of good happy memories and it will allow me to create more maybe even better memories with thanksgiving. My favorite part of thanksgiving is the fact of family all sitting down to eat together. That in itself is a miracle for my family. When we all sit down we talk and laugh and form bonds that we would not be able to form in any other situation. This year thanksgiving is going to be different. I am spending it with my dad for the first time since my pop pop passed away, my dad hasn’t been big on holidays since. I am very excited because I know any time spent with my dad is always fun. And since I don’t see him as much any more, I know the bonding over dinner will be good. also it does help that my dad is a really good cook so I know the food (my ultimate favorite thing in the world.. my true love) will be really good. I'll be sure to tell you how this thanksgiving goes.
=)
I am thankful for just about everything in my life: my sisters, my friends, my family, and so on. I am thankful for all the opportunities I have in life, which we all have. I am thankful for growing up in America. I am thankful for softball. Hell! I’m even thankful for the annoying kids in the hallways that prevent me from moving, because they are apart of my life too. I am so grateful that I have so many people in my life that care about me, and that I care about. I try to make it a habit in my life to never take anything for granted because it can be gone in the blink of an eye. I can’t think of a specific thanksgiving as my best or worst. I remember living it much more when I was younger though. My family and I used to get up really early and drive to the Macys Thanksgiving parade. My sisters and I would all write our letters to give to the elves when the Santa float went by. Those were great Thanksgivings. For the past few years we’ve been obligated in one way or another to going to the Oakcrest football game instead. I haven’t had any really bad Thanksgiving. I’d have to assume, though, that last year’s was the worst. The older I become the more annoyed I am by everyone on my mom’s side of the family. They are rude, and judgmental, and LOUD, without even realizing it. They all put themselves up on pedestals and I can’t stand it. And their kids! Don’t even get me started. Talk about spoiled and whinny. Kill me please. I guess the two both have in common time spent with my family. I’ve just changed a lot, so my family and I don’t click so much anymore. I still love them though. My family does the whole traditional turkey dinner: cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, cornbread...ext. My mom’s side of the family comes over for dinner around 4 every year and we spend the night at my house eating and partying. I don’t know if everyone does this, but my family and I make cold turkey BLT sandwiches late at night when we’re hungry again, from the leftovers. I definitely will keep on with the tradition when I’m older. No matter where I am I’m sure I’ll come home for thanksgiving. It’s a great holiday. My favorite thing about Thanksgiving is that it’s relaxed and just about spending time with the people you care about. Christmas is always so mixed up with presents and stress. And all the others require long hours at church, or buying presents. Thanksgiving is a simple holiday. That’s what I like the most.
I’m totally with Emily C. Having off from school is great. Not because I’m trying to be lazy, but because it really is nice to have a few days where I don’t have to be disturbed by obnoxious people in the hallways. A few days where I can actually completely finish a thought I was having without being interrupted. A few days where I can do whatever I want. With that, I feel this is the opportune time to tell you that I’m dropping out of high school Ms. Bunje. HAHAH
Happy Thanksgiving!
I guess i should start by saying what i'm thankful for, and i don't know where to start. Thanksgiving isn't really a religious holiday, but i am surely thankful for everything god put on this earth. Everything, no matter how good or bad, was put on the earth for a reason: for us to learn from experience. So i'm thankful for everything, but most particularly, for my life, all of the opportunities i am given, and all of the supportive people who care about me.
My most memorable thanksgiving was actually my worst; i broke my collar bone two days before the game. I was going to play in the game as a sophomore, which was a big deal for me. Every other thanksgiving was basically the same; we had dinner early and my brother, sister, and 5 cousins played around the yard for hours. Those thanksgivings were special all in their own ways, but not all that memorable.
I envy Dave for being able to wake up whenever he wants, which is probably the case for alot of people, because i have to get up at 6 o'clock tomorrow morning to go eat breakfast with the team and get on the bus at 745 to go to Gami. We're going to BEAT THEIR ASS! Anyways, i was never really able to sleep in; we were always getting up at 8 to go somewhere up in north jersey or fly down to Georgia. I guess maybe when i was really little it was less of a production to go somewhere for Thanksgiving, but now i have a football game, which means we can't really go too far for the holiday.
Now for football, it can be either the best or the worst part of the day. This day signifies the final game of the season. Final game for Seniors, final game for some coaches, and final game to prove something to the student body. Of course, if we win that is the best feeling for weeks, if we lose it's hard to shake the feeling. And so, my favorite part of the day is probably the game, it means so much. There is so much riding on the Thanksgiving day game. The season can almost be offset by the one single game; People say: "oh, you beat Gami? Then it wasn't that bad a season right?" People can suddenly change their minds about the football team if we win the Thanksgiving game. That is probably why it is my favorite part of the day. It is almost like a day of redemption. We can also set a tone for the new season, as well as, for the seniors, leave a message to everyone from their last game.
And for you Ms. Bunje, it may not be so much as understanding the game as supporting your team. For example, I would much rather you be at my game and not understand a thing that's going on, than not be there at all. Of course that may be difficult for someone who is watching something they don't understand one bit, but it does mean something to the players. Quite possibly half of the school is going to be at the game tomorrow, which is in itself alot to play for. Oak is takin this one home.
Before anything else I have to comment on Leslie's blog. I was going to start mine that way too. My mom's biggest criticism of me is that I am "ungrateful." She says this when my room is messy, when I don't come the first time she calls me, and any other random time she feels like throwing the word out. I really AM thankful for things! I don't display ungratefulness by not keeping my room spotless or whatever random "crime" I commit against my mom! I'm really NOT a bad kid. At ALL. It seems like it's always the good kids that are come down hard on by their parents. I know this is not a good way to start a blog about thankfulness, but I am not in the best of moods or the happiest with my family right now. And I really am thankful for my family. I'm thankful for my family and my true friends that stick around and the good, fun memories that we make. One of the things I'm most thankful for is my sense of humor, and other people's senses of humor. I LOVE to laugh, it just brings joy and sparkle to everything. I'm thankful for my abilities and my passions - like my love to write and to ride horses. I'm thankful that I am not painfully insecure. I can be insecure, but as a whole I am not too ill-fitted. I'm thankful for the big things in my life, like my horses and my barn. Like Becca said, I'm thankful that I've been able to travel. To go to Costa Rica and Key West and South Padre Island (on College spring break. We went as a family vacation. A story for another blog) have been such amazing experiences (okay, so Key west and Costa Rica more so than South Padre, but in different ways). I'm thankful for animals so incredibly much, because they bring joy, hope, and happiness to my life. I'm thankful for big things, like peace and joy and happiness and hope and love and all those good things. And I am DEFINITEY thankful for dreams and possibilites. Like college. I'm thankful that I'm intelligent and have the desire to learn and grow as a person. While I'm not consciously thankful for these things every minute of my life (I would be stifled by thankfulness if I was), when I look at the big picture, I have so much to be thankful for, like everyone else has said.
On to my Thanksgivings! Like Jeannie said, my absolute worst Thanksgiving was last year, which sucks because it should have been the best. My mom, dad, and I went to North Carolina, like we do every summer, except obviously this time it was different because not only were we going in the summer but also in the fall/early winter. My parents picked me up early on Wednesday so we could drive down there. I missed the pep rally because of it. It was pouring down rain, freezing cold, and our ferry was cancelled because of the "inclement weather" - not only that, but the whole ferry system was shut down. By that time it was dark, I was freezing cold and flustered due to sitting in the car for an extended period of time with my exasperated parents, and just wanted to go home. We actually did end up turning around and going home, so that whole leave early on Wednesday was to no avail. We ended up leaving on Thursday morning, but once we got on the Outer Banks we weren't allowed to cross the bridge over to Hatteras Island because the bridge was out due to the inclement weather spreading all up and down the coast. It was also cold and windy. Needless to say, I was not too happy. When we finally did get across, we ate dinner with an obscure branch of the family we never do Thanksgiving with, and I ate at the kitchen counter with the twenty-one year old and twenty-four year old I just met like a half-hour prior to the meal. It SUCKED. (The whole rest of the trip didn't get much better, either.)
My best Thanksgivings, I can honestly say, were any Thanksgivings that were NOT that one. Besides the notable exception of last year, I LOVE Thanksgiving. The holidays just give you a warm feeling inside and you want to see your family and spend time at home and be warmed by a fire and eat hearty. I love it. My grandmom and popi, uncle ed (ugh), cousins (sometimes), aunt and uncle (sometimes, and Mom-mom and Pop-pop (also sometimes) come share Thanksgiving with us. We share great food, lots of laughs, and conversation. I have a really close family and I really enjoy spending time with them, especially when my cousin is there. Ally is 19 and a sophomore at Vassar College. She is like a big sister to me because I don't have any brothers or sisters, and I also don't have a lot of cousins. Ally is my favorite cousin, undoubtedly, and one of my favorite family members. I love her so much, and plus when she is around it is nice to have someone else there to defend me from the old people. (There are so damn many in my family.) Tomorrow is going to be, for lack of a better word, an INTERESTING Thanksgiving, and I don't really know what I think about it yet. I won't be eating Thanksgiving dinner with my parents, and i am very upset about that part of it. My Popi (annoying, annoying, annoying) is in the hospital due to his own stubborn refusal to go anytime prior to this week. The week of Thanksgiving. Nice going, Pops. He knew he needed to get tests run because lately he has been having trouble balancing and walking (his spine is deteriorating and he has major back problems), and for some reason this week he just finally conceded. They had to keep him at the hospital to run all the tests on him because at first they didn't know if the problem originated in his brain, and he also only has one lung because of the Korean War and they had to run tests on that, and he has an enlarged prostate so they had to check it for prostate cancer. So pretty much he's in there. And he's not coming out till, well, after Thanksgiving.
I am really angry/upset about this because this year my whole family was supposed to get together for the first time in 3 years. My Grandmom and Popi, my Uncle Ed, Ally and Timmy and Wendy (cousin, uncle, aunt), and my Aunt Maria and Uncle Don, all of whom (besides Grandmom and Popi and Uncle Ed, who I see all the friggin time) I never get to see and love more than words. So I was pumped to see all of them, and then stupid Popi has to go and get himself hospitalized. I know I sound heartless right now, to borrow a word from other people's blogs. But I was really looking forward to this Thanksgiving and this WHOLE SITUATION could have been averted if Popi wasn't so bullheaded and would have just gone to get the tests done sooner. It's not even like an emergency! Forgive me, but unless it's an emergency, go some other time! Thanksgiving is SPECIAL! So anyway my do-gooder parents are going down there to Cape May, breaking up the whole family dinner situation, and supping with Grandmom and Popi and Aunt Maria and Uncle Don, while I go next door and eat with Uncle Timmy, Aunt Wendy, Ally, and Uncle Ed. Because I sure as hell was not missing seeing my cousin, who I see about twice a year, for Thanksgiving in a hospital where my grandpop is hangin' out, not even sick. Damn.
Anyway. We'll see how things go. Happy Thanksgiving everyone! (That's not sarcastic.)
Thanksgiving is a fun holiday for me for a few diferent reasons. I get to see a lot of my family that I don't usaully get to see and my restraing order on my uncle gets renewed. That's why I have to eat my Thanksgiving dinner over my dad's house. Just kidding, I don't have a restraining order on my uncle or on anyone for that matter. I was just bored and felt like spicing up my first paragraph.
I wouldn't say that I have a "best" Thanksgiving. All of the Thanksgving dinner i have atteneded are unique in their own special way. All are pretty fun and different every year. For the logest time, up until last year, I would eat Thansgiving dinner over my mom's house. I really enjoyed that because, for one, I got to see my mom's side of the family, and for two, we play games for money. I especially enjoyed winning. Winning made my day so much better, especially if the amount of money i won was of decent size. However, last year, i went up to north jersey to eat Thanksgiving dinner at my dad's house. He has a different style of cooking and his meal is more italian oriented. I wouldn't say that I like my mom's meals over my dad's meals, or my dad's meals over my mom's meals, both are unique and I really enjoy both. This year, I am eating over my dad's house again. The only thing that annoys me is the 2 hour drive to his house. Other than that, it's all good.
A big part of Thanksgiving, to me, is the food. I really like food. It's so delicious. I pratically eat all day. However, besides the food, i enjoy watching football. I think i get into football too much. But then again, how do you know when too much is too much? instead of just watching, I have to analyize practically every play and figure out what they did wrong, or right. All those years of Madden payoff when it comes to talking about football. I've always wanted to play football but it interfered with soccer. But that aside, I really like football. Oh well. Overall, Thanksgiving is a really fun holiday, but it still falls short of Christmas =)
What am I thankful for? When I first read this I couldn’t think of something that in my heart I was truly thankful for, my parents, family, my boyfriend, food, being blessed, I wasn’t sure. Unlike Alli I’m not the most thankful person or I have a hard time showing it. For some reason I thought of music which next to my family and multiple blessings isn’t something to be truly thankful for. But I’m not thankful for music. I am thankful for the fact that I can hear. I can see. I can walk and talk and feel. Of course I am thankful for my family and blessings but even more I’m thankful for the fact that at thanksgiving I can see my family and hear my father’s ridiculous jokes. Or smell grandma’s sweet potato pie and feel the warm hugs from my family. So really I am not as ungrateful as people think.
My best thanksgiving…umm? Well I would say it was about five years ago give or take. It was spent in Maryland with my mother’s mother’s family. Most thanksgivings are spent with my mother’s father’s family and I don’t feel as comfortable with them. The best part was I got to eat great food with people I wanted to be with, people who made me happy, people who knew how to have a good time. It was so memorable because it must have been fifty people stuffed into my Nana’s two bed room house. But better then that it was the last time I can remember my great grandmother and great grandfather both being healthy, alive, and together. There was never a worst thanksgiving I always seem to make the best of it. I bet if I wrote this blog Friday it would be a different story, Bunj you surely understand what I mean. But as of right now I never had the worst thanksgiving simply because each thanksgiving I am surrounded by people who love me and who I love.
I guess the charm in thanksgiving with my family is there isn’t a tradition which makes it sort of unknowing. You never know what you’ll get. Last year we had lamb a long with the turkey and it was a hit, this year who knows maybe duck. Last year aunt Teresea was engaged, Angie was married, and my cousin China had gained another hundred pounds. So I guess our tradition is to be different and without a defined structure. And it’s a fun tradition. Every year you ask what will Lavern where this year? Or which little cousin will get hurt first? And it’s all apart of the magic.
My favorite part is dessert. I love eating up my grandma’s pineapple cake and sweet potato pie, and reminiscing on past memories. It always helps me realize how blessed I and how thankful I truly am.
What am I thankful for? I’m thankful for my personal paradise, life, nature, everything that it is that makes me me, people that know how to manage their volume, the men and women in the armed forces that protect our way of life, civility, intelligent conversations, and everyone that puts up with me being me. With that being said, I would like to establish right away that I don’t like Thanksgiving, or many other holidays for that matter. My family doesn’t do anything extravagant for Thanksgiving; it’s just a simple breakfast in the morning, which lately I have been preparing, and a nice big dinner around 4. This simple idea is something I could surely enjoy, I’m not a big fan of an extravagant lifestyle, but I just can’t bring it upon myself to enjoy this or almost any other holiday. It’s not the dinner or the holiday itself, but my family. It isn’t really any of them individually, but it is them collectively. When they all get together the conversations are either really inappropriate, which would probably explain my dirty mind, or extremely simple minded and from a perspective of complete and total ignorance. One of the things that bothers me the most is when people speak from this perspective; and whenever I get frustrated enough with the conversation to correct them or interject my opinion, they won’t accept it or dim it invalid. I absolutely can’t stand that entire situation; I feel so out of place. I am out of place; I’ll be the first college graduate in my family which has been plagued with ignorance for so many years.
Anyway, to answer your questions; I have no favorite and no worst Thanksgiving, they all seem to be just about the same. Like Monica, the older I become the more annoyed and frustrated I become with my family. I guess that would be because each year I acquire new knowledge and for the most part my family loses it. My favorite part of Thanksgiving is probably the ham. I don’t like turkey and neither does must of my family so we have a ham instead. The ham is probably what gets me through the meal without leaving in disgust or interjecting a very “strongly worded” statement to the population of the table. As I wrote this blog I had a very revealing epiphany. Almost everywhere I am and especially in my family, I’m just misunderstood. No one really understands Joecamp.
Thanksgiving. I’m not gonna lie, but the first thing that comes to mind is food. I love food. I like making food, and I especially love to eat it. I am, in fact, thankful for the abundance of food on this day. Ah, and so the word emerges: thankful. What am I thankful for? As usual, I dove into the abyss of my mind to do a little self-reflecting so I could really give you a sense of who I am. I have found through these blogs that I have a gift for wrapping my mind around the many nuances of different subjects, issues, and theories. But this time around, I think that this blog requires more than probing my mind; it’s up for my heart to decide.
First, I’ll dust off the surface of the age-old questions: what are my family’s Thanksgiving traditions? What does my Thanksgiving meal consist of? Why in the world do I love Thanksgiving? Obviously, I love food. In my family, the meal and the tradition have become intertwined. Yes, I eat turkey. Yes, I eat mashed potatoes. Yes, I eat stuffing. And DUH, I smother them all in gravy. Every single year. My favorite tradition, however, would have to be what I prefer to call the “Sherman Chinese Firedrill”. You see, the Shermans can’t spend Thanksgiving day with both sides of our family. Quite a problem, no? Well, the solution is easy. I will use this year’s Thanksgiving as an example. Last weekend, I had an early Thanksgiving dinner with my dad’s side of the family. Tomorrow, my mom’s side of the family will feast at my house. Then, we switch for Christmas. Early dinner and gift-exchange with mom’s side, Christmas day with dad’s side. Next year, it rotates. I think you get the picture. Anyway, I love the concept of mixing food and family together. Those are my favorite traditions, and they are the reason for my love of Thanksgiving.
Now, I’ll dig a little deeper into the trunk: what am I thankful for? Why? The Thanksgiving days that I have so far accumulated in my life have been, put bluntly, rather monotonous. In despite of the Sherman Chinese Firedrills, they have been the same each year. Food, family, football. The three F’s. Although I do have tunnels of fun at my family gatherings, I can’t say that many of them have stood out clearly in my mind; after all, I’ve had 16 of them so far. There was one year, however, that I do remember. That was the only time that I ever expressed those things that I am thankful for. It was quite a few years ago, and I can’t say that I did it willingly because my teacher forced us to do it. But just the fact that it broke the traditional mold that my family had created is the reason why it stood out sharply in my memory.
I don’t believe that I’ve quite answered the ever-elusive question. After much consideration, I had to backtrack to history class today. Mr. Cervi often forces Mikey Henry to perform seemingly complicated computer work because he is technologically challenged. So, Mikey was able to find a few videos about Thanksgiving and the troops in Iraq to show to us in class. Of course, they seemed pretty similar, which caused me to forget the details. But, there was one that really touched me emotionally. It put out a great message: be proud and thankful of our soldiers. Remember them tomorrow. As I was watching the video, my eyes shifted to the windows. My seat is closest to the windows, so I can clearly watch the various students and teachers shuffling by and the disappointing courtyard. Today, though, everything seemed a little different. Every single student that I saw wore blue and gray. The teachers seemed merrier than usual. And the courtyard. It had a bench! The sun was shining on it ever-so beautifully. And I felt happy and proud. I was thankful for the almost overwhelming amount of school spirit that everyone has shown this year. I was thankful for the science classes that took the initiative to plant trees on the school grounds. I was even thankful for the men and women who so willingly joined the army, marines, or navy to serve our country. They weren’t forced to sign up. They knew full well that they could go to Iraq. They knew that at any given moment, they could die. All of these things made my feelings elevate even more. I have a great family, a house, and, of course food. Isn’t that wonderful? Aren’t you grateful for those things too? I’ve never been without them, so I can’t imagine what it would be like to live day by day if I didn’t. That’s why I savor them all, like the last bite of Thanksgiving turkey.
As I was reading Joecamp’s answer, I had to chuckle to myself. When he stated that he doesn’t like turkey at Thanksgiving, I immediately thought of Caitlin. How could I possibly forget my best friend?! Of course I’m thankful for her! I don’t know how my life would be without her. Probably extremely boring. I wouldn’t be who I am today. I used to be introverted and meek, which caused me to agree with Caitlin despite my own opinions; now, I let her have it if we think differently. We disagree often. I love it when we do. We are very alike, me and Caitlin, but we have our own preferences and opinions. It spices things up. For example, I love turkey and tradition; Caitlin hates it and wants to feed her future children Chinese food on Thanksgiving. Well, power to her. I wouldn’t take her any other way.
:)
What am I thankful for? That is a really tough question. I guess I'm thankful for my family. Usually my whole family gets together for Thanksgiving. Unfortunatley this year my brother, sister, brother-in-law and sister-in-law all had to work. I'm also thankful that I am able to have a Thanksgiving meal. There are so many families that aren't able to afford a traditional Thanksgiving Day feast. My most memorable Thanksgiving probably would have to be last year. I actually ended up going to my boyfriend's uncle's house because my sisters, and brothers, and parents all had to work. So I had Thanksgiving with him and his family, and then ended up spending the night at his house so I could go shopping with his mom and sister the next morning. Then my family had a Thanksgiving of their own in December, but it was still Thanksgiving, even if it wasn't the actual Thanksgiving Day. My worst Thanksgiving would probably be the time when I was so sick, I could barely get out of bed. I couldn't smell any of the food my mom was cooking, and I couldn't taste it either. My grandparents from Georgia were up too and it was supposed to be really special. I remember that my grandma turned the pull out couch downstairs into the bed so then I could be downstairs with everyone but still in bed. I felt horrible! Luckily today, though I am sick as a dog, and I can barely talk, I can still smell.
Traditions. They are my favorite part of Thanksgiving. There are so many with my family. Or should I just say me. I've made my own traditions. The night before, I always help my mom bake the pies. One apple, two pecan, and two pumpkin. Then I wake up early to the smell of here sauteing the onions and celery for her homemade stuffing. I watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade all the way through until Santa comes. Then I go up and get dressed. The my mom and I watch March of the Wooden Soldiers together because that was the tradition in her house. Then family usually starts to arrive, so I have to set the table with all the fancy silverware and plates. We usually eat early so then we can all relax before going to sleep. I guess that's not many traditions, but you can't forget the traditions that follow Thanksgiving, which for us is getting ready for Christmas. I love the feeling of Christmas, and it all starts with Thanksgiving. The traditions that I follow now, are definitely going to be carried on when I have a family of my own.
Just like you, Bunje, and Jeannie, I don't understand football either. The only time I watch it is when I'm spending "quality" time with my grandpa, but I never know what is going on, ever.
Ah, the giving of the thanks. Such a significant day for self reflection. What am I thankful for? I am thankful for what situation my parents and life has put me in. In good health, a good house, and receiving a good education that is what I am thankful for. Also, back to the parents, I am glad they have not put me through what other kids have been through. I am thankful for their respect for each other and myself.
The best Thanks Giving I celebrated would have to be the first one i realized what I was celebrating. I am going to take a guess and say it was when I was around 7 years old probably? There was a weird feeling of happiness from being surrounded by my family that still sticks with me to this day. The worst one was about two or three years ago. I was sick, and in addition it seemed as if none of my family showed up. It was a cold lonely Thanksgiving for the Miller household. We don't carry any specific traditions, but our family has been known to spend a large amount of time parked in front of the television. Other than that we don't have anything out of the ordinary.
The part of the day that really tickles my fancy is just being at the dinner table. There is an unique atmosphere always at the dinner table. The food is good and all (not my preference) but it's everybody putting aside there woes and worries for those few hours and just engaging in conversations.
For the football thing Ms. Bunje don't worry about it. There is not one descent game on today. Read a book or do a puzzle it will be far more entertaining.
Commenting on Leslie�s response, she highlights some things that I think everyone should be thankful for. She is right about being thankful for having the opportunity to be happy. We all should be thankful for this. Happiness is what makes things run smoothly and makes life enjoyable.
It's funny that i was just talking to my boyfriend about thanksgiving and how paradox it really is. If my opinion makes me a little unspirited for holidays...then i guess I'm really unspirited. Truthfully besides Christmas Thanksgiving is one of the holidays that i dislike the most. i like the idea of bringing the family together and reminiscing on all the good things in their lives, but seriously if people were so thankful for what they have shouldn't they be thankful for what they have 365 days out of the year and not just on thanksgiving or when a tragedy happens? I think that life would be so much more fulfilling when we appreciate our blessings more than once or twice a year. I feel like sometimes i may loose sight of my blessings, but at the end of the day i really do just sit back and think about what i have. My family isn't like every other American family. There's about a million and one things different individuals in my family had to go through to get to where they are now. It really is a humbling experience.
I'm thankful for my family. Sometimes it feels like WWII in my house, but i can't remember one hospital stay when they weren't there for me. I'm thankful for my friends, my house, my dog, and my life. Wow, so many people cant say they have that. I think what makes me most humble of the things that i have is when i think about all that had to be done to get it. I couldn't say what my best or my worst thanksgiving was because they're all pretty good. My family doesn't eat dinner at the table anymore because of our busy schedules. Work, wrestling matches, band practice, homework has really taken over our lives. I think if anybody in my family appreciates Thanksgiving more than anybody else in my family is my little sister. She's the youngest in our family and she's too young to remember a time where we all ate at the table. So every Thanksgiving she makes an EXTRA effort to try to help out in anything. She always starts the prayer, which has become the tradition now for a while. I guess prayer is good before you eat thanksgiving, but how many times out of the year do you pray with your family before you eat. just because it's thanksgiving people do it. My favorite part of Thanksgiving is the food. It's really good. I always stuff myself until I'm about to explode, but i keep eating. Then my mom warns me to stop with every bite. I usually listen after the sharp pains in my stomach start kicking in.
I love Thanksgiving. Although Christmas is by far my favorite holiday unless I don't get that much, Thanksgiving is a close runner up. I am thankful for a lot, but to prevent being hasty, I'll dig deep down for the things I am really thankful for. First off, I am thankful for my life. I am thankful for the chance to wake up everyday and to be in such good health. My thankfulness derives form my religion, God being the reason for the good or bad in that manner that happens in my life. Nothing is like knowing that I am healthy and have the chance to wake up everyday. I thank God for that. Also, I am thankful for my family, although all of us aren't as close as some families are. I am SO thankful for my mother and grandmother. They have never let me down. I love them from the bottom of my heart, even though it's kind of small, I love them more than that. They were there for me through whatever, I am truly thankful for that. This question has given me a humbling experience because I don't very often think of everything that I am truly thankful for. I am also thankful for finding love in AJ. Love is beautiful to me now that I have found it. Before, I'd see people in the hallways in school kissing each other and just roll my eyes. Now, I just wish AJ went to my school. I understand what those people are feeling, although some are just lustful people, love isn't in it at all. However, there are SOME that are in love, I'm sure. The time that AJ and I spend together is wonderful and I just realized that love is something I can't even describe. It's just one of those feelings. I love it now. I thank God for those main things, they are what I am most thankful for.
The best Thanksgiving was last year. I spent in with my dad's side of the family at my aunt's house. I love attending her house for Thanksgiving dinner because there is where all of my older and younder cousins, aunts, great grandmom, and uncle's visit. I loved it last year. Everyone came over and the entire night was watching football, enjoying delicious food, watching movies, and laughing with family. There is nothing like family. Yes, frineds are nice, but family is the best because there is a connection there in the blood. I love my family. We have so much fun, especially last Thanksgiving. I love the jokes personally, being as though I am a funny and goofy girl, I am happy to know that I have an entire family just like me. That's some of the difference between friends and family. A lot of my family is alike in the fact that we enjoy laughing.
The worst? There really wasn't a WORST Thanksgiving that I have had. Every year, except this year I have been with family. This year, I was with AJ's family. The past years have always included family laughs, food, bonding, and fun. I can't answer that question because there isn't a worst. I enjoy and love the time spenct with my family personally. The only bad thing I guess was one year I was bored for a little while.
The only family tradition we have is that before dinner, we say grace and ask each other what we are thankful for, I love that tradition, and I will do the same for when I have children and a family of my own.
We always eat the best food which is: turkey, ham, sweet potato pie, candied yams, collard greens, stuffing, mac and cheese, cranberry sauce (I hate that!) potato salad, rolls, and cornbread. I love that stuff so much, my mouth is starting to water just thinking about that delicious food. The food is by far the best part of the day. Nothing beats being allowed to stuff yourself with the most delicious food ever. I'm greedy anyway, so all year, I wait for holidays, so I can eat all day, and exercise it off the next day ofcourse. =)
Ah Thanksgiving. Such anticipation and yet such a letdown. I'm not saying Thanksgiving isn't a great holiday, but well...I think I might get myself a little too excited beforehand, and then am disappointed when it arrives. Contrary to many blogs I have read, such as Hannah's and Jeannie's, I'm really not sure if Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays.
I love my family; that's for sure. They're one of the things I am most thankful for. They can get a little hectic around the holidays, but who doesn't? I am very thankful for my amazing riding abilities (HAHAHA), and very thankful that I have never broken a bone from falling so many times; or breaking anyone else's bones in aggravation for that matter...
I am thankful that I was not raised dirt poor, but can afford the things I need. I am also thankful that I was not raised filthy stinking rich, as much as I would like the money, because I know that I would be a spoiled brat if I had been. I am thankful for my church and friends, because they are all so freaking awesome!!! I am thankful that I ended up at a decent school and was gifted with intelligence, although I am NOT thankful for homework. And I am NOT thankful for my mother being "blessed" with very strong vocal chords, and a short temperament to boot.
The greatest Thanksgiving ever is hard to recognize; they're all kind of "eh". I guess the best was last year, but it's hard to remember. We, the Seven Cousins, do pretty much the same thing every year: stand around awkwardly in the kitchen until Mom and Aunt Sis chase us out, attempt to play football (although anyone who has me on the team is not happy), make fun of each other as we stuff our faces at dinner, then lay around lazily watching TV or playing a video game. Last year was the first time we celebrated the holiday without one of the three families, because they decided to go to Myrtle Beach instead. So the Seven Cousins were really then Five. It was kind of weird without them at first, but they're all really mean, so we were a lot happier with them gone. The food was still good, and we were able to play a lot of games without embarrassing moments.
The worst Thanksgiving ever happened just the year before. My grandmother was very sick with lung cancer. I cannot explain the remarkable sadness of standing in front of your own grandmother, whom you had loved for 14 years and whom had loved you back for just as long, watching her stare blankly in the distance, not recognizing you at all. It was horrible. The food was probably good, but no one really tasted it. It was depressing to watch my mom and her sisters taking turns to get up and care for my lifeless-but-breathing grandmother. Mom says today that she can't remember how the food tasted that year. That's because she never got to eat it. The Seven Cousins, including me, watched helplessly that evening, not looking at each other straight in the eye.
The traditions are the same. We always make way more food than we can all eat, which turns into delicious microwave leftovers for the week. My stomach usually always hurts after I eat. I always hurt my fingers trying to catch that stupid foot ball. And I always have a good time with my cousins.
My favorite part of Thanksgiving is the laughter. Now, since my brothers are in college, Thanksgiving is like a reunion time. It's so much fun to be around Justin again, who can make the weirdest situations funny. Nick, I can live without sometimes, but I guess every family needs a pompous jerk to make fun of. The only problem with all the laughter is trying not to puke after such a big dinner.
Unfortunately this is late but if it wasn’t then I wouldn’t be able to tell you about my favorite Thanksgiving. Normally I’d go to one of my aunt’s house, and we’d do the normal tradition. Eat the turkey dinner, but on their pool table while watching my uncle’s favorite football team, the cowboys. But around January last year I met my sister, and this year we had Thanksgiving at their house. She has two sons and a daughter, and this year I got to play football with my nephews, but still I got to watch the Cowboys this year. The worst thanksgivings I’ve ever had are the ones where instead of being allowed to sit at the table with everyone, I had to sit with the rest of the kids at a stupid plastic table that went up to my shins. I felt like I was four. You always here the stories of it happening to kids on TV, but It has happened to me before. It sucks a lot because instead of spending time with my family, I’m spending time with my second cousin twice removed, that I really will never see again. My best thanksgiving was this year because I actually felt like part of the family at the table with all of the adults, and the rest of my real family. On a side note, in the football game Cowboys vs. Jets, the Jets had an awesome pick, AKA interception.
But as for what I am thankful for, it’s my super amazing girlfriend, who does my readers logs with me. Because we all know I needed help with them. (But I’m only putting that because she’s right next to me, telling me too) I am most thankful for though is my family because without them I wouldn’t be able to have a super awesome Thanksgiving, or actually a Thanksgiving at all. My family is what makes me who I am and without them I wouldn’t be even close to the Mister Carlton I am now.
Replying to Courtney Sherman’s blog the food is amazing every year, no matter where you go, or who you are with. But the people that you are with can ruin the entire holiday, if you are not with the right people. So, I feel that family is way more important then food because if no one in your family can cook then you’ll end up going out to Denny’s.
Around the Holiday's, I become thankful for life. I become excited for the things to come and happy for the way things are going now. It's something about fall and the transition to winter. I am thankful for my friends, because without them I wouldn’t be where I am today. I am excited to see my friends who are in college and my family who comes home for college. My taste in music changes seasonally, and I can track the changes by what type of music I listen to. This time of year I listen to a lot of Christmas music, Sufjan Stevens still has my favorite collection. Everything about the days leading up to thanksgiving until Christmas, it all makes me thankful for life.
I’ve never had a “best” thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is just a day for me. I don’t personally think we should be celebrating what we are, especially after reading an excerpt from Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States last year. While no one will admit it, thanksgiving is absolutely boring. I end up sitting downstairs doing something I do all the time, watch movies. Then, later into the night, my sister and I drive down to Avalon to meet with our other half of the family (parents are divorced, my stepmothers parents live in Avalon). We take pictures for the Christmas card that we send out to the family on my father’s side. It’s the same every year. Nothing can be good; nothing can be bad…because it’s something I do all the time.
I’d have to admit, I like thanksgiving in Avalon way more than I do with my family here in Mays Landing. They seem to have more of a traditional Thanksgiving, but times have changed and the traditions are falling apart. That yearly trip to West Palm Beach in the summer? Not anymore. The entire family going to Six Flags? Not anymore. It’s easy to understand why none of these events occur anymore, but that’s for another blog or an occasional paper. However, I feel bad criticizing tease traditions, because I know I won’t be the one to carry them out when I get older. I don’t plan on living anywhere to this remote area when I go up, nor do I plan on going to college anywhere close either. (The closest on my list are in Boston).
My favorite part of thanksgiving is the short week of school. I don’t hate my family; I just hate that when we get together I end up watching a movie. This year it was You, Me and Dupree.
In response to Joanna’s comment about divorced parents and thanksgiving dinner, it’s really not that big of a deal…for my family at least. My sister and I end up spending every waking moment together during the holidays, because we are both in the same position in terms of the divorce. Go back, I want to add why I like holidays like Thanksgiving. Bonding time with my sister should be with that. The only thing I hate about having divorced parents is that I shift between two houses all the time, and it’s hard to have doubles of everything. It gets complicated when you add in like band and stuff, a shirt might be left at one house while I am at the other. Whatever, I will live through it for the next two years and then its over.
I am sorry for not posting sooner, Bunje. I was home for thanksgiving, but I ended up staying with family that I haven't seen in a while.
Okay, Ms. Bunje, sorry this is late but I did it on Wednesday and apparently it didn't post. I came back on to read other people's because I like to and to my surprise, wow internent I love you for not posting my blog on time. Really, it is so cool. So Anyway, thanksgiving. As bluntly exposed by its name, it is a day to give thanks and eat turkey and watch football. I love thanksgiving, partially just because of the food. I give lots of thanks for it. Also, as stated by almost everyone in AP lang, my friends and family. Yes, of course I love my family, but I can appreciate it because my family, unlike Rebecca or Jeannie, can celebrate it together. It really opened up my eyes from Rebecca's blog that a lot of people don't celebrate together due to divorced or other families. I feel lucky that, although my dad sometimes sleeps through the actual dinner portion of the day, my family is still together. My family can be crazy sometimes though, so I give equal thanks to my friends. My best friends are the people whom I go to for everything and I couldn't live without.
So, my thanksgiving day actually changed this year. Before this year, I wasn't really friends with anyone on the football team and I still have some trouble understanding it, so there wasn't much point in attending the famous Oak/Gami game. Also, it was notoriously cold, except for this year, and early in the morning. So, as you can relate to, Bunje, it wasn't relaly my thing. Well, this year my friends told me I should go and I'm glad I did. It was a lot of fun and we cheered, even though they lost, sorry. After the game comes my dinner. When I was younger and ALL of my cousins were younger, we all used to get together for a family dinner. And I mean all as in my mom and her 6 brothers and sisters and their families. Now, though, it was just my mom, my dad, my little sister, and I together at home for dinner.
Thanksgiving dinner consists of the staples: Turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, biscuits, and corn. Then I share a common dislike of cranberry sauce with Brittany, but my parents love it, so we still have it. I love thanksgiving food. It is one of my favorite food combos ever.
I don't really have a best thanksgiving. Every one of them is special, but not really memorable in a particular postitive way. My family puts up Christmas lights this weekend and we eat and watch football sometimes and those are the main and universal traditions that I will carry down to my family. However, my worst Thanksgiving was probably four or five years ago and my mom, sister, and I were all sick with either the flu or some really bad cold. Most of the cooking was left to my dad and let's just say that it was an...interesting palette of food.
Overall, thanksgiving is a day to be with friends and family, just hang out, and of course pig out until the turkey's tryptophan kicks in and you zonk out until 4 a.m. the next morning to shop. Unfortuntaly, my mom believes there is nothing worth waking up to beat other people to stores for that early, but I personally think it would be pretty fun. So much for an after thanksgiving shopping day this year, but hopefully that's a tradition I can start with my own family...or at least my own license.
Thanksgiving may very well be a superficial time where anger and animosity are relinquenished, and the happiness in everyone is brought out.. Thanksgiving is a time to be happy, thankful, and cheerful. Despite any hatred that may be lurking in the pits of the stomachs of many, right next to that pit it happiness. There is a good and bad side to everyone, and there is no set time for each to come out. Happiness and thankfulness does not just surface during Thanksgiving and around family, but when someone truly feels happy. There is no clock that rings and say its time to be angry, things just happen, which dictate the mood and feelings of each person. Every time you see a family, they are always happy, always feeling friendly, but is it really a true feeling? I say no, it is not a true feeling, I think everyone sucks up the anger and negative emotions and puts on a face, to be in unison with the rest. There is no sense being angry at Thanksgiving, because the people who you surround yourself with will bring you out of your temporary slump. Do I hate Thanksgiving? No, my name is not Michelle Martinez, but I do think that people tend to be fake, or at least hide how they really feel. It is evident because people can be angry, but as soon as they see their family they magically switch? Come on now. Thanksgiving is a time where people are supposed to come together, and I think for that very reason people conform to the standards. It is kind of like Christmas, but I am sure there will be a blog about that, where Michelle can further take out her aggression on the Santa lovers.
I am thankful for many things, and glad to be in the fortunate situation that I am in.there are far worse situations in the world and it is hard to remember those when having a good time with your family.
I think nowadays it is especially hard to think of those less fortunate because we as a modern society are handed so many things. The inventions that technology has produced in the last 20 years have skyrocketed and enables this generation to forget the important history. There is not much one can do other than taking the time to think about who they really are, where they really come from, and why they are really thankful. It will be those people who have the ultimate potential for success.
I Devon Marie Schenker am thankful for life. I am thankful to be alive, to have good health and good fortune. I have a family that cares and a pretty easy going life. Now yes that mean seem a little like a greeting card but it’s the truth. Now I didn’t always feel this way. In fact it was not until about a few years ago that Thanksgiving actually put meaning into my life. It was the Thanksgiving of 2002 and it was the first Thanksgiving that I was going to spend in Pennsylvania with my moms family. This was not a normal routine, in fact we always spend Thanksgiving at my dads brothers house, but this year was different. This year my grandfather had been diagnosed with cancer in his heart, lungs, and partial in the brain. The cancer was small in each place but was continuing to grow. They preformed multiple surgeries and had most of it removed but he became very ill and was only getting worse. We all knew that the time was near that he would walk hand in hand with the lord. The whole family was there. It was the greatest feeling ever. We weren’t even sad while we were there. We were all just really glad to be together, no matter the circumstances. This was my favorite Thanksgiving because it was the first time in months that I saw my grandfather out of his hospital bed and sitting in the living room in his favorite chair. Though his motions were limited and his speech not so good, it was his presence that lifted the spirits in the room. My grandfather was a very happy go lucky guy and loved life for every moment. He didn’t regret anything he ever did. He inspired me, he was my hero. I have never had a bad Thanksgiving and I hope I never do. *Knock on wood* We really don’t have any family traditions with Thanksgiving though I do hope to start some one when I become older and have kids and a family. Well football on this day is the least of my worries, like you said, I watch about ten minutes and I am confused and bored. Food. Wow where to start with that. Unfortunately we don’t’ eat at our house because my mom makes the best stuffing known to man kind. One of my favorite things to look forward to during Thanksgiving is my grand moms homemade pumpkin pie. MMMmmmm. And another thing is the cranberry sauce in a can. The food is great and I love stuffing my face but I defiantly enjoy being with family the most. I live a pretty busy schedule and I don’t get to see everyone very often so when we do see each other it is full of catching up to and stories. I love the stories. My family is so funny and there is never a dull moment.
It’s funny to say but I agree with Joe Camp. I too do not enjoy eating turkey. I would prefer a ham over it any day. It is weird but my uncle always cooks a ham as well just for me. It is weird to think that some one would not eat Turkey on Thanksgiving but I am a very weird girl. Lol
Thanksgiving, Turkey Day, whatever one may call it is the one holiday of the year that anyone, diet or not, can pig out. Even though the food is absolutely delicious every year, I know that that’s not what Thanksgiving is all about, it is about giving thanks to all the things you appreciate in life. So what am I thankful for? I could go down the list of material things that I’m thankful for but what I’m most thankful for can’t be found in any store. I am thankful for life, I am thankful that everyday I still wake up breathing and I am given the chance to live another day. At times I know I take living for granted and seem to lose sight of all the things that are great in my life. I can honestly say that I have many people in my life that truly love me and would never do anything to hurt me. I am thankful for those people. Unfortunately I don’t have a best Thanksgiving, only because every year is great. My Turkey Day is filled with laughter, joining of loved one, and amazing food every year. There is no set destination for Thanksgiving, its more like who ever wants to have it at their house, can have it out their house. Last year after my mom- mom came out of the hospital, she decided to have the Thanksgiving feast at her house, which was probably, if I had to pick, the most special Thanksgiving I ever had. My whole family joined together at her house to eat at the long dinner table that had food spread across the entire table. Turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing, candy potatoes, whatever you wanted it was there. The one tradition that my family will never break is the football game, no one leaves until the cowboys game is over! The cowboys are my mom-mom’s favorite team. No, Ms.Bunje I do not have any tips to help you become more interested in the game, because I myself don’t completely understand it. All I know is whenever there is a touchdown you get up and yell “YAY THAT’S WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT” and when there is a interception or fumble you get up and yell “WHAT THE *^%* THAT WAS *&^^@#$%.” I don’t think this will be a tradition I will carry out, but as long as my mom-mom is living my family and I will be at her house eating and watching the game. I agree with Rosy V. when she was says that her favorite part of Thanksgiving it the togetherness. Thanksgiving along with all the other holidays is a time when all the drama is forgotten and everyone is just able to love each other. Thanksgiving is awesome!
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