This Thursday, I will not be vacationing anywhere exotic, I will not be at a fancy gourmet restaurant (or serving a gourmet meal). I will not be surrounded by the trendy or famous our exclusive list of who’s who in America. I will not be dressed in haute couture, nor will I be toasting with expensive or exquisite spirits. What will I be doing on Thanksgiving?
Giving thanks….for all that I do have, and hopefully showing gratitude to all friends/family who I am able to celebrate the holiday with this year.
I will get up early to start dinner, and will run with our kids and friends of our kids in a “sometimes annual” Turkey Day Fun Run (in lieu of the HUGE Turkey Trot in our town.) We will toast with some sort of beverage, and eat some goodies, all justified because we just ran! I hope our efforts to have this as a tradition for our kids will be an example of the need to find balance in life…..hard work (running) and fun (celebrating with food/drinks). I’m grateful for our kids and our friends (and family) most of all in life. Without them, nothing else matters. Really, nothing.
Dinner and our table are filled with memories and symbolism….. is yours?
We will then move to the meal portion of the day…..my favorite part. The preparing, the planning, setting the table, and then, of course, the eating….
- We will be at home, crammed around a table we bought when we first moved into this house. No where exotic.
- We will be eating a meal prepared by me, my mom, and my mother in law. None of us are gourmet cooks, but everything we prepare is prepared with love.
- Our guest list varies each year- sometimes friends- sometimes a mixture of sides of the family. This year, it’s just us and my parents and mother in law. But our home is open…..so if you know anyone who needs a place, I’d be honored.
- I don’t even really know what haute couture is, but I’m pretty certain I own nothing that is. I will, however, be dressed in up as a nod to feeling honored by the company I am keeping on Thursday.
- Wine/champagne shall always accompany our Thanksgiving dinner, but decisions on what to serve are dictated far more by what I like and affordability than vineyard or year or undertones or hints of whatever is in my beverage.
We will have: (traditional fixings, and the following……)
- Turkey- placed on a “Turkey” serving dish from my step mother in law. Because she cannot be with us, her dish serves as a reminder of her love.
- Pierogies, Dill Pickle Soup, Challah bread, horseradish, and Kielbasa. Honoring my Polish heritage, and in memory of all our family who are no longer with us.
- Sweet Potato Casserole- a recipe given to me from a former co-worker. It has become a family favorite, and I think of her grace and beauty and kindness every time we serve this dish.
- Flowers- my mother in law always brings the most gorgeous center pieces. It is something I never remember to do, and she never ever forgets.
- Table cloth & napkins- custom designed from my mom. I am grateful for her talent and instilling in me the importance of setting a pretty table for family meals.
- Depressions Glass- from my grandma and my aunt (both sides of family). I have no idea if it’s valuable or not, but I LOVE it. I LOVE that generations of my family have eaten on the same dishes, I love that it speaks to a simpler time of life, and I love how beautifully delicate the dishes are. Of everything I put on the table, I love these the most.
Quote for the day “feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” William Arthur Ward.
This gives me something to think about before I develop my Thanksgiving list- of all that I’m grateful for in 2013.
peaceinthejourney 