THANKSGIVING DINNER

@2011 Pam Wilkie

I love Thanksgiving; it’s my favorite holiday of the year. It doesn’t have the angst and commercialism of Christmas which makes me want to run screaming to a faraway island until it’s all over. Thanksgiving is a simple, honest and wonderful day of just being with those you love; laughing, eating, drinking and watching a lot of football. No gifts to buy, no decorations needed, no fancy clothes to wear. Just be.

In the early days of my adulthood, we all went to my Mom’s for dinner. I am the oldest of seven kids and when we all got together with our spouses, kids, boyfriends and/or girlfriends, it was quite a crowd. It was always fun and I treasure those memories. But my favorite Thanksgivings have been the ones Bill and I have shared in our home over the last twenty years.

I love to set a nice table; to me it’s just as easy to put down a pretty dish or glass as an every day one. I alternate between using Bill’s grandmother’s beautiful one- hundred year old china and lovely linens, and my mother’s china from the sixties with my own tablecloth and napkins. I pick leaves from the magnolia tree in my back yard, clean them off and arrange them around crystal candlesticks of varying sizes that were wedding gifts, and put hydrangea leaves under the deviled eggs to keep them from sliding around on the plate. I gather whatever flowers are blooming in my yard (if I’m lucky there might be daffodils or narcissus), put them in small crystal vases or jam pots and scatter them around the table.

We cook a traditional meal of turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes and gravy (oh yes, the gravy), home-made cranberry sauce, peas, rolls and butter, Waldorf salad and, of course, pies for dessert which nobody eats until the next day. The mood is always casual, relaxed and fun.

Although Thanksgiving is a uniquely American holiday, we’ve had the great pleasure of sharing our table with friends from other countries. Our lovable, charming and a little bit wacky Australian friend, Rick, joined us several times. Before dinner he played pub songs on the piano and told an endless stream of funny stories of his travels all over the world. For him we are thankful.

Richie, tall and lean, dressed casually in one of his short sleeved, plaid shirts, jeans and ever present baseball cap, looks as young and handsome as ever. Rie, with her black hair falling to her waist, open unadorned face, quiet, gentle nature, and the purest soul I’ve ever known, is a pleasure to be around. They join us each year and for that we are thankful.

Sometimes friends came from other cities or states to celebrate the day with us. Mark and Billie and their little boy, Blake would drive in from Las Vegas and Mark, who loves to cook, would take over the kitchen and prepare the whole meal. What a blessing that was! Bill’s parents from New Mexico joined us across the table for several years, until they weren’t able to travel any longer.

During the years when my children and grandchildren were living out of the area, Bill and I spent several Thanksgiving Days at the home of our friends David and Stacey and shared the joy with their families.

This year, however, is special; Shelley, my daughter, is hosting her first Thanksgiving Day meal and has invited the whole family to come. She wants LOTS of people there. We’re all helping out by bringing a dish or two. Shelley’s a good cook and can put together this meal, no problem, even though she’ll not only have her own family to deal with, but that of her boyfriend, as well. It will be the first time in many years that I’ll share the day with my children, grandchildren, nieces and grand nieces. And for that I am thankful.

If, for some reason she changes her mind, I will have Thanksgiving here once again and try to decide how to decorate the table this year.

Whoever we’ve had the pleasure of being with on Thanksgiving; it’s always been a happy, lovely day. No one ever forgets to toast our good fortune and the many blessings we have each and every day, and for that we are thankful.