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For many years, my family gathers the night before Thanksgiving to prep the food.  On Thanksgiving morning, we relax while my mom prepares the meal.  After we eat, we sleep and eat again!

For every Thanksgiving I can remember.....we EAT, EAT, EAT, and watch TV, and most importantly we are surrounded by family members talking about previous Thanksgiving memories. We remember those that have left us in body, but not in spirit and in the process make new memories. We are thankful to have had another opportunity to celebrate this holidy with those we love. Last, but not least APPLE PIE!

My wife, who is originally from Wisconsin, daughter and I drive up to Wisconsin and volunteer at her parent's local community center to serve food. Then we head to her parent's house, I play football with all the guys and the 7 grandchildren while the girls are inside cooking. We give our thanks and then sit around the couch too stuff to move!

Our Family Tradition was to all gather at my Mom's house (13 little ones & 10+ adults) and help prepare dinner, set the table and eat like pigs.  At that time, I didn't have a child.  It was always sisters, brother, nieces and nephews, cousins and aunts and uncles.  Since I had my first (and only) child, we have continued on that tradition but at my eldest sisters home.  It has always been about family and being together.  Usually after dinner, the adults decide on the Christmas plans:  i.e. what to eat, and what limits to set on spending as our family has only gotten bigger!

My family volunteers at a soup kitchen-preparing the food, cleaning up & serving  those less fortunate and unlikely to enjoy an elaborate Thanksgiving meal, otherwise.  It serves as a wonderful lesson to our children and helps us to better appreciate all of the ways in which we are so blessed.

Our family Thanksgiving tradition is either going to my mom or my mother-in-law's house (we switch each year) for dinner.  My daughter and I make a dessert to bring too.  She loves to help out in the kitchen!

Our family Thanksgiving Tradition - it actually starts the night before.  Since Thanksgiving dinner is held at my parents - our family is in charge of dessert.  I gather the troops (3 kids and my husband) and we bake an assortment of desserts.   The kids usually make chocolate chip cookies and brownies.  My husband and I make the pies (pumpkin and apple).  We try to go to bed early since early the next morning we go to the Thanksgiving day parade.  The kids really enjoy it.  We try to go regardless how cold it could get (boy, it was pretty bad last year).  After the parade we run home to pick up the desserts and head to my parents for a nice big family Thanksgiving dinner. 

Well since we have moved here we have had to make our own "new" tradition with all our family being in Oklahoma. The past several years we have had Thanksgiving with our friends whose families are also far away. I am hoping to keep to that tradition this year as well. We have rotated houses, so we might have it at our house this year! This reminds me that I should send an email to see if they want to do it again this year! Thanks!

Our thanksgiving day, is very special.  In the morning we go to the Thanksgivin parade, then we have our breakfast.  After we go to our home to prepare food for the dinner.  For dinner we prepare turkey, and we go to our friend's house and share different kind of foods.  In this meeting there are people from different countries. (Equador, Mexico, Guatemala).  Before dinner, we take a time to thank to God for all his blessings. It is wonderfull.  WE LOVE THANKSGIVING DAY.

Ever since I can remember my family has celebrated Thanksgiving at my parents home.  It has always been an open door policy at our house for both friends and family. Some years there have been over 20 people others only 8 or 9, but whatever the case it is a time for good food, family, and sharing all the year has brought us.  Since I have been married, and especially now with children, Thanksgiving has become more hectic because we also visit my in-laws, but the majority of our time is still spent by mom and dad's  with a 30-some pound bird and WAY too much food!  I have even been recruited to make the stuffing the night before so that the turkey can get stuffed at 4 am by dad.  Let me tell you, with a little guy this is not an easy task since it is made from scratch and then transported 20 minutes away to my parents house.BUt it is all done in the name and love for FAMILY!

 

P.S.  THis October 17th perfomance is on my little guys 2nd birthday and he absolutely LOVES MIckey Mouse Clubhouse....I've been contemplating taking him and winning this contest would seal the deal! We're even having a Mickey party for him this year!

Thanksgiving is celebrated with a puertorrican flair here in chicagoland,  I think of it as the typical puertorican christmas eve dinner with a American twist.  .... instead of mash potatoes we have rice with pigeon peas (arroz con gandules) and we do have turkey but its season like pork we call it   turkey/pork...i and of course just like the rest of the US the pumpkin pie, potato salad and green salad a must.  

We gather at my mother-in-laws house,  my sister-in-law with her 5 kids and her current boyfriend, my husband 2 kids and I, and maybe a one or two thoroughbred jockeys thats won't be able to return to his home is welcome to join us (my husband works at the racetrack).    Its a little crazy the apartment is small, and then their is two small dogs thrown in the mix one of them so tiny (weights 3 pounds) I am always afraid of somebody squashing the little thing...as for the jockeys they eat like models...so they usually go for the salad and and a small piece of turkey.  Which is  good thing if you are watching what you eat, it a hard thing to stuff yourself will seeing somebody exercising self control, plus there is always leftovers you can stuff yourself later.


 But this year its going to be kinda of sad my sister-in-law has decided to settle down and get married and moved away with two of the kids, the remaining three are adults one of then is soon to become a US Marine (Oct 1) and Gods know where she is going to be shipped at....as for the other two they decided to remain in chicagoland for now, but we have a new edition to the family, sweetie the cat...the meanest cat I have ever known, she was left behind when my sister-in-law moved away, so it had to be decided the shelter or the in-laws with the two dogs.   Sweetie is not happy with the change I hope by thanksgiving she have a more sweeter disposition or have eaten one of the dogs.   I just love thanksgiving.

 

Just like when I was a kid, the kids watch the parade on TV while mom gets the turkey in the oven. 

 We put a roll of white butcher paper out and everyone writes what they are thankful for.  We display the ones from prior years.

Our entire extended family gets together for a huge Thanksgiving dinner.  We all reflect on what we are thankful for.  We always end the evening in a circle singing "Piano Man".

Thanksgiving has been such a drawing together of hearts in our family through the years. We gather at my mom's house in the country from three states, some of us drving 12+ hours to get there in time. After watching the Thanksgiving Day Parade, we all get involved in the cooking for our early afternoon feast.  My sister & I help mom with dressing, gravy, fruitsalad, sweet potatoes, that classic green bean casserole & many kinds of pie as we all have our favorite. My dad, brother & brother-in-law prepare to deep fry the turkeys, then huddle 'round outside & talk about what's new along with what's the same. The kids play games & dress up all the while our Thanksgiving preparation is in the works.  After heartfelt & heartFULL thanks are giving & blessings are bestwed, we all enjoy a delightful meal prepared with lots of love & memories shared. Cooperative cleanup, then some break for footbal while others of us break for Rumicub. We are quite the competive bunch & love this game; playing went into wee hours of the next morning.

Things have changed for us the last year or so as we lost mom.  Admittedly, it's been hard to hold onto these traditions & we modified a bit last year taking the show on the road to my sister's house. The men still hovered outside, manning the turkey fry, while my sister & I cooked inside.  The pie selection was modified & we did not prepare the green bean casserole. My heart is yet sad, but yet we go on & develop new tradtions, holding dear to the memories of years past, & growing into this new place with new memories waiting to unfold.

Thanks for asking & for the opportunity to share my familiy traditions. My heart is longing for home~

Our family's Thanksgiving tradition is a simple dinner with my sister and her family at our place.  Then,  we relax and watch a movie.