The Holiday Season Part 2: Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving. The holiday begun by Pilgrims and American Indians giving thanks for surviving their first few seasons in the new world has become so much more. It is a time for food, family, and for some, football.
This year we had the feast at our house. At my sister's halloween party I found out that my Mom was coming to Colorado because my sister in Colorado Springs and my sister-in-law in Boulder were expecting little bundles of joy to arrive just before and just after the day of feasting. At the time I didn't expect that I'd be seeing much of her, because after all, I'm not one of those having a baby. As the time drew closer, I learned that my sister in C.S. was planning on having Thanksgiving dinner for everyone in the family in Colorado at her home, and that my Dad and unmarried siblings in Utah were planning on coming out to join us for the holiday. Thinking that it would be a bother for her and her husband to host a Thanksgiving dinner for so many people when she was expecting to have a baby just days before that (possibly on Thanksgiving day itself), we offered to host it at our home instead, and she graciously let us.
So we began the process of planning a meal for potentially 17 people (12 adults, 5 children, not counting any infants that might be born before then.) We made assignments for others to bring, but reserved the Turkey, pies, rolls, and a couple side dishes for ourselves, figuring that if someone was unable to come due to being in the hospital, nothing of tremendous importance (Thanksgiving menu wise) would be missing. Besides, Steven likes making pies and I like making rolls, and both of them could be made the day before. We arranged to borrow an extra table and chairs so we would have sufficient seating, and looked forward to the big day.
When my mom arrived in Colorado, we ended up picking her up from the airport and she spent an entire day with us. It was fun to have her here, and I enjoyed catching up with her. She soon traveled to C.S. to be with my sister whenever her baby should happen to come. Two days before Thanksgiving, baby Ammon arrived a little after 6:00 in the morning. I was very happy for my sister, and also glad that she would be out of the hospital before Thanksgiving. The next morning my brother in B. called, concerned about the safety of my sister traveling to our home with a two day old baby. I still thought that it would probably be easier for them to come here than to host a huge dinner at their home with a brand new baby, and besides, we had everything planned and I had a 20 pound turkey defrosting in my fridge! But I let him call down to CS and consult with my mom, to see if she thought it would be better to have the family dinner here or down there. He never called me back, so I continued with my preparations here.
Thanksgiving dawned bright and early. We got the turkey in the oven on schedule at 9am. other preparations were made and we had some time to relax before the family began to arrive a little after noon. My sister from C.S. arrived with her sweet little baby, and her toddler daughter, but no husband. He was home with a stomach flu! We missed him, but were grateful that we had decided to have the meal at our house instead of theirs. The hour or so before we ate was a bit hectic as we prepared the last minute food items, set up the table and set it, and got ready to eat. The food tasted good. The turkey was tender. The gravy didn't ever thicken in spite of everything I tried (I was following a new recipe and I guess I didn't get it quite right) but everything else was good. Peter fell asleep during the meal though. We enjoyed playing games after dinner and just spending time together talking and admiring the new baby. Steven's pies were delicious, as was the apple cobbler he baked in a dutch oven in the grill on our back patio. It was a fun day.
So what am I grateful for? I'm grateful that we were able to spend Thanksgiving with family from Colorado and Utah. I'm grateful that my sister was able to come with her new baby. I'm grateful that my SIL in B. waited until after Thanksgiving to have her baby (he still hasn't arrived yet.) I'm grateful that we had enough room to fit everyone in our home without feeling too incredibly crowded. I'm grateful that we found enough chairs for everyone to sit on. I'm grateful that my family members all get along well together, so family gatherings are a time of peace and friendship. I'm grateful that the weather was nice, so those who had to travel could do so without having to worry about snow or ice on the roads. I'm grateful that my husband enjoys helping in the kitchen; I wouldn't have wanted to do all the cooking without him. I'm grateful for those Pilgrims who started a tradition so long ago of breaking bread with friends and families and giving thanks to He who has given us everything.
This year we had the feast at our house. At my sister's halloween party I found out that my Mom was coming to Colorado because my sister in Colorado Springs and my sister-in-law in Boulder were expecting little bundles of joy to arrive just before and just after the day of feasting. At the time I didn't expect that I'd be seeing much of her, because after all, I'm not one of those having a baby. As the time drew closer, I learned that my sister in C.S. was planning on having Thanksgiving dinner for everyone in the family in Colorado at her home, and that my Dad and unmarried siblings in Utah were planning on coming out to join us for the holiday. Thinking that it would be a bother for her and her husband to host a Thanksgiving dinner for so many people when she was expecting to have a baby just days before that (possibly on Thanksgiving day itself), we offered to host it at our home instead, and she graciously let us.
So we began the process of planning a meal for potentially 17 people (12 adults, 5 children, not counting any infants that might be born before then.) We made assignments for others to bring, but reserved the Turkey, pies, rolls, and a couple side dishes for ourselves, figuring that if someone was unable to come due to being in the hospital, nothing of tremendous importance (Thanksgiving menu wise) would be missing. Besides, Steven likes making pies and I like making rolls, and both of them could be made the day before. We arranged to borrow an extra table and chairs so we would have sufficient seating, and looked forward to the big day.
When my mom arrived in Colorado, we ended up picking her up from the airport and she spent an entire day with us. It was fun to have her here, and I enjoyed catching up with her. She soon traveled to C.S. to be with my sister whenever her baby should happen to come. Two days before Thanksgiving, baby Ammon arrived a little after 6:00 in the morning. I was very happy for my sister, and also glad that she would be out of the hospital before Thanksgiving. The next morning my brother in B. called, concerned about the safety of my sister traveling to our home with a two day old baby. I still thought that it would probably be easier for them to come here than to host a huge dinner at their home with a brand new baby, and besides, we had everything planned and I had a 20 pound turkey defrosting in my fridge! But I let him call down to CS and consult with my mom, to see if she thought it would be better to have the family dinner here or down there. He never called me back, so I continued with my preparations here.
Thanksgiving dawned bright and early. We got the turkey in the oven on schedule at 9am. other preparations were made and we had some time to relax before the family began to arrive a little after noon. My sister from C.S. arrived with her sweet little baby, and her toddler daughter, but no husband. He was home with a stomach flu! We missed him, but were grateful that we had decided to have the meal at our house instead of theirs. The hour or so before we ate was a bit hectic as we prepared the last minute food items, set up the table and set it, and got ready to eat. The food tasted good. The turkey was tender. The gravy didn't ever thicken in spite of everything I tried (I was following a new recipe and I guess I didn't get it quite right) but everything else was good. Peter fell asleep during the meal though. We enjoyed playing games after dinner and just spending time together talking and admiring the new baby. Steven's pies were delicious, as was the apple cobbler he baked in a dutch oven in the grill on our back patio. It was a fun day.
So what am I grateful for? I'm grateful that we were able to spend Thanksgiving with family from Colorado and Utah. I'm grateful that my sister was able to come with her new baby. I'm grateful that my SIL in B. waited until after Thanksgiving to have her baby (he still hasn't arrived yet.) I'm grateful that we had enough room to fit everyone in our home without feeling too incredibly crowded. I'm grateful that we found enough chairs for everyone to sit on. I'm grateful that my family members all get along well together, so family gatherings are a time of peace and friendship. I'm grateful that the weather was nice, so those who had to travel could do so without having to worry about snow or ice on the roads. I'm grateful that my husband enjoys helping in the kitchen; I wouldn't have wanted to do all the cooking without him. I'm grateful for those Pilgrims who started a tradition so long ago of breaking bread with friends and families and giving thanks to He who has given us everything.
Comments
Post a Comment