Thanksgiving traditions?

[SolaScriptura]

Just curious to know what types of family traditions my fellow PBers enjoy as a part of their "Thanksgiving celebration."

I haven't been able to do it in years, but back when we were in the mid-west we joined our family in doing it: All the men folk get up and go pheasant hunting in the morning, then return and add whatever (if anything) was shot to the stuff to be prepped and cooked.

The tradition we have in my immediate family is we all as a family make the food, then we play board games, then in the evening we chart out where we're going to go on Friday morning. Nothing like waking up in the wee hours of the morning, fighting unbelievable traffic, and standing in hours long lines to save a few extra bucks.

 

[Grymir]

Well, me and my wife cook a traditional thanksgiving dinner at home and stuff ourselves and store the leftover turkey in the freezer and throw it away a year or two later, or else we go camping!

 

[Southern Presbyterian]

Let's see....

Drive 1 1/2 hours to in-laws, cook, fellowship, give specific thanks for God's blessings in the past year, eat, clean up, family sing-a-long, then fall into turkey induced coma while trying to watch A Christmas Story, get up Friday morning and prepare for the trip home while avoiding any and all participation in the "Black Friday" madness (20+ years as a retail store manager has forever tainted this "holiday tradition" for me).

 

[Notthemama1984]

Only tradition I have is eating too much

 

[Matthias]

Well, me and my wife cook a traditional thanksgiving dinner at home and stuff ourselves and store the leftover turkey in the freezer and throw it away a year or two later....

Well you get an "A" for effort for at least attempting to not be wasteful

Im a "The glass is half FULL" kind of guy

 

[govols]

My family, with the children, go to the local Retirement Center and our children play bingo with those that are there, they play the piano and I share the Gospel with them. Glorious time.

 

[Scott1]

We have had a long tradition of extensive preparation of a quality meal.

It used to be we would raise, butcher, dress and slow cook the turkey. Nowadays, I try to find a "natural" one raised by someone else as they taste so much better than store bought ones and remind me of earlier days.

A traditional meal of turkey, potatoes, asparagus, brocolli, pie, homemade stuffing, homemade gravy. There needs to be (symbolically, at least) cranberry.

Also, a time where we go around the room and everyone writes down 10 things they are thankful for and shares at least one with the group. This can be a good entree into a time of prayer.

Then there is the traditional post-Thanksgiving Day walk. A beautiful walk.

Then, return to a fireplace for a time of stories, light discussion, and a glorious nap!

Also, each year we try to find at least one needy person or family and invite them over.
We really need to spend a lot more time being thankful.

 

[SolaScriptura]

Sounds wonderful, Scott!

 

[jwithnell]

This is one of my favorite meals to cook! Actually, parts of it are already in the freezer including the cranberry sauces and some of the prep for the broccoli casserole and stuffing. I hope to get my pie crusts made and frozen this week.

We'll roll up a copy of one of the Thanksgiving hymns and sing it as we start our meal and each family member offers a prayer of thanks. One tradition I picked up from my inlaws: the next morning, we eat left over pie for breakfast. The kids just love this, and so do I. It does mean we have many more types of pies (I grew up making just pumpkin at Thanksgiving).

 

[jwithnell]

Hey, if we have any northern Virginia BPers who don't have a place to go at Thanksgiving, let me know!

 

[Kim G]

My husband's family has an around-the-table tradition. They pass out a jar of dried corn kernels, and everyone takes a few pieces. Each kernel represents something they are thankful for. They go around the table and mention one thanksgiving per kernel as they put their kernels into a pile. Then they thank the Lord in prayer for all the things that have been mentioned.

I guess it's a visual way to "count your blessings."

 

[LawrenceU]

Growing up the men folk would go duck hunting and add the bounty to the meal. If the seasons didn't fall just right we would hunt quail, rabbit, squirrel or some other tasty game. I usually have a turkey that I have shot and smoke it along with a locally raised yard turkey. (Scott is right. They are much better.)

Growing up the entire family would gather at my great grandmother's house and when she passed away my grandmother's house and have a feast of traditional fare: turkey, waterfowl, dressing (cornbread only!), oyster dressing, country ham, cranberries, green beans, butter beans, sweet potatoes or sweet potato cassarole, pineapple cassorole, biscuits, rolls, and much more. Don't forget the pies, pies of all kinds! We always would stand before the meal in a circle which would snake in and out of rooms and everyone gave thanks for something. Then, we sing the Doxology and one of the family heads would offer a prayer of thanksgiving and blessing before the meal.

Since I have lived around the country I've not been able to attend every year. Thank God for the memories.

 

[SolaScriptura]

Since I have lived around the country I've not been able to attend every year. Thank God for the memories.

Thanks for sharing that! Those ARE some precious memories!

 

[JBaldwin]

We gather with my sister, her family, my mom, my husband's mom and anyone else we know who might be without family on Thanksgiving. Whoever is hosting the meal for the day cooks the turkey and dressing, and everyone else brings the other food.

My favorite tradition is the reading of the thanksgiving story and the discussion that follows. My husband is a direct descendant of John and Susanna White, Puritans who came over on the Mayflower. John didn't survive the first winter, but Susanna and her two sons did survive and would have been part of that first thanksgiving.

History books tell us that one of the reasons the Puritans left Holland was religious freedom. What many don't know is many of the Puritans left Holland because their children were learning to speak Dutch and not English. This would not have been a problem except that in 1619 when the Puritans were considering leaving there was not a complete Scripture in Dutch. (The first Dutch Bible was commissioned in 1618, but not published until 1637.) They feared that their children and grandchildren would grow up without the Scriptures.

Thanksgiving is a reminder to me of God's goodness down through families and in all generations. My husband's family wandered away from the Lord to the point where none of them are believers. He is gradually coming back to the Lord and has embraced the faith that drove his family to come to this country nearly 400 years ago. I see God's hand in that, and I love having the opportunity to take a day to thank the Lord for it.

 

[Galatians220]

Our Thanksgiving tradition begins in the weeks before the holiday. It's time-honored; my grandmother and my mom started it and strangely enough, I married into a family that did the same things.

First, we think about who is speaking to us at present and who is not, and we assess the reason(s) for someone being in the latter category. Then we consider whether the approach of Thanksgiving might be a good reason to contact that person(s) and try to make up with him/her/them, even and especially if we were not the original offender. We cobble together a guest list based on those with whom we've had successful, conciliatory, "let's-bury-the-hatchet" phone calls. Those with whom the phone calls didn't go as well will be told, "We'll miss you, and we hope you change your mind." We don't discuss those with the guests who've accepted our invitation.

I usually eat a lot of crow before I ever buy a turkey.

Then we think about who is and is not allergic to cats, and who in our household will assume the grave responsibility of cleaning the house as thoroughly as possible of cat hairs.

Next, we consider food allergies, of which there are many, and who will/will not be offended if one of their allergens happens to be on the Thanksgiving table, but not touching anything that they're going to eat -- and we will duly and fully warn them that the particular allergen is on the table.

Lastly, I generally put forth a humungous, solo effort. Some of my dishes are rousing successes; others are dismal failures. However, usually a good time is had by all. Religion, unfortunately, has to stay under wraps as long as the Catholic relatives are here.

People are usually invited for 2-3 p.m. They leave, sleepy but wide-awake enough to drive and to watch more football (having cussed at the Lions' performance on the field first) by 6 p.m. at the latest.

I'm astonished and a wee bit envious of some of the responses above.

Can I come to one of your houses? I'll bring half the meal!

Margaret

 

[SolaScriptura]

If someone is going to be travelling in or around the Fayetteville, NC, area... let me know. My family and I would love to have you over.

 

[Wannabee]

We're a family bent on establishing traditions. As a kid we did the typical turkey dinner then doze while watching football. That's not what we've attempted to pass on to our sons. We invite anyone who doesn't seem to have a place to go. So far that hasn't resulted in a whole lot of people, but we're trying.
One of the traditions we've picked up from Family Life. During their first winter here, there was a time when the daily rations for the Pilgrims was down to a few kernels of corn. We start the meal with the bounty laid before us, but with just fiver kernels on each plate. Then a small basket, or bowl, is passed around and each person shares something they're grateful for as they place a kernel in the bowl. We do this until all the kernels are gone. You can read about the account of the Pilgrims here, and Family Life here.
I cut out verses and put them in a bag and pass it around. Each person takes one and reads it. Then they share something about what the verse helps them to be thankful for, or some thought it might have dug up.
After the meal we'll sometimes go for a walk, then chat, tell stories, wrestle with the kids and share much laughter. At some time we spend some time reading from the Word - no particular passage.
It's been said that an un-thankful Christian is an oxymoron. It's utterly impossible for one to be freed from the tyranny of slavery to sin and not be grateful. May we all be overwhelmingly grateful to be slaves of Christ.

 

[BJClark]

We don't have traditions, other than cooking and eating the meal.

We have at times driven to my brothers in Orlando, or to my sisters who lives a few miles away, but typically we stay home..and I call and talk to everyone at least for a few minutes.

Since our mom died and our grandmother in a home, and kids in college and married, we don't get together like we used to..which was to go to Virginia and have Thanksgiving at my aunt and uncles with the entire family, of aunts, uncles, cousins and soforth, this year will be especially difficult on this aunt and uncle as one of their sons just recently went home.

 

[he beholds]

Here's a newspaper article from two years ago written about our family's "Charlie Brown Thanksgiving."
I edited some names and places, even though this was in the newspaper. Some were too obvious to edit, ie: Charlie Brown...
Re-reading that article reminds me of the many more blessings to be thankful for, as the number of covenant children in our family has doubled in just two years!

In addition to what the article describes, our tradition also includes a late night game of Settlers!

 

[biggandyy]

Burning the pop-n-fresh biscuits. Every year now for nearly 15 years (started with my mom). Sometimes it is unintentional, sometimes I sneak in and reset the timer on the wife

 

[JBaldwin]

Burning the pop-n-fresh biscuits. Every year now for nearly 15 years (started with my mom). Sometimes it is unintentional, sometimes I sneak in and reset the timer on the wife

Now that brought a smile to my face. At least it's not the turkey that gets burned.

 

[Matthias]

Just curious to know what types of family traditions my fellow PBers enjoy as a part of their "Thanksgiving celebration."

I haven't been able to do it in years, but back when we were in the mid-west we joined our family in doing it: All the men folk get up and go pheasant hunting in the morning, then return and add whatever (if anything) was shot to the stuff to be prepped and cooked.

The tradition we have in my immediate family is we all as a family make the food, then we play board games, then in the evening we chart out where we're going to go on Friday morning. Nothing like waking up in the wee hours of the morning, fighting unbelievable traffic, and standing in hours long lines to save a few extra bucks.

We don't really have a tradition other than the traditional feasting. But after reading this post I decided I wanted to "steal" yours!!! You should have heard my wife laughing when I told her that from now on all the men folk are going pheasant hunting! I told her that even if we have to dress up the jack russell like a bird and chase it around with water guns.... we are going HUNTING

 

[Grace Alone]

I also find myself a little envious of those who come from solid Christian homes. All of our family except my husband's brother and wife go to liberal churches, and a blessing before the meal is about the only thing somewhat Christian about the day. I have enjoyed the years we did not go home and instead had Thanksgiving with brothers and sisters in Christ. But our parents are getting older and we feel like we'd better go while we still can. There'll be food and football and that's about it.

 

[BlueEyedU2Fan]

My family plays a seriously intense game of football and spends the evening decorating for Christmas. Nothing too exciting.

 

[Curt]

Part of our overindulgence always includes pumpkin cheesecake. I used to make it every year (both for Thanksgiving and that other holiday in December). Now we go to a daughters house and she makes the cheesecake (my recipe, of course).