Monday Memories: Thanksgivings Past

I've been feeling nostalgic lately, probably because the upcoming holidays mark the 'Curse of the Firsts,' a term my friend Rob's blog introduced me to last week. Though I wasn't able to celebrate Thanksgiving with my mom the past two years that she was in assisted living, it will be the first one where I can't at least visit her.

Just a felt turkey I bought about a decade ago. 

My earliest Thanksgivings were spent at my paternal grandmother's house. She only lived about 10 minutes away from us. This is a picture of the house the year she bought it, the same year that I was born. My grandfather passed away a year before I was born, so she decided to move back to the 'old neighborhood' in the city so that she could walk to the grocer and ride the bus, as she never learned to drive.

The kitchen where we had Thanksgiving dinner at Grandma's. Pictured are my step-great-grandfather (Grandma's stepdad), my father, me, and my mother. We would often be joined by my Great Aunt (Grandma's widowed sister-in-law). My dad was an only child and my mom's large family was scattered throughout the U.S., so our gatherings were always small. Grandma was a fabulous cook, and everything was made from scratch. She was from Altoona, Pennsylvania, part of the Pennsylvania Dutch culture. Some of her specialties were concord grape pie, red beet eggs, and hot bacon salad dressing. Our Thanksgivings were bountiful with the traditional foods of turkey, mashed potatoes & gravy, and stuffing in the bird. She would make my dad's favorite, pecan pie and there was always a relish tray.

When I was cleaning out my parents' condo, I was tickled to find Grandma's Hall autumn leaf coffee pot. I clearly remember her using it. It has now become part of my autumn decor.

When Grandma was no longer able to make big meals, we transitioned to Thanksgiving at my childhood home. This is a picture of how the kitchen looked in the 1970's.

My mom always hung a trio of 'Indian corn' on our front door during the month of November. I keep a miniature version in a pinch pot that Middle Child made in art class one year.

Another treasure unearthed from her condo were these pilgrim and turkey candles that were displayed all throughout my childhood. Aren't they in terrific shape?

Grandma passed away in 1983. This is a photo from our Thanksgiving in 1984 that my brother must have taken. My mother did not enjoy cooking and rarely made anything homemade. This photo shows our typical fare: turkey breast, shrimp cocktail, boxed mashed potatoes (upgraded to Bob Evans mashed potatoes when grocers began to carry it), canned cranberry sauce, Stove Top Stuffing, and Welch's Sparkling Grape Juice (my parents didn't drink alcohol). We didn't have a formal dining room, so this was our eat-in kitchen. Please note my November tan/popped collar and my mother's Native American inspired top!

Mom loved all things Native American, and I've decided to display what I've kept of hers during the month of November.

One of her brothers lived in New Mexico and Arizona for most of her life, so she developed a love for southwest art, as well as turquoise jewelry.

Hand painted pottery that's on my fireplace.

Woven basket on the other side of my fireplace.

 

My husband was a good sport about eating my mother's version of a Thanksgiving dinner every year because spending Christmas Day with his family was very important to him. However, we would also visit his family on Thanksgiving evening for dessert. It was a lot of driving around, but looking back, I'm glad we did that for our parents, and my kids have nice memories of the holidays.

 

After we bought our current home in 2012, we hosted my parents and brother every year for Thanksgiving. Our dining room is huge, and we can comfortably fit extra tables around our main dining table. The last time my father was in our home was Thanksgiving 2017 (he passed in October 2018). The last time my brother brought my mom for Thanksgiving was 2022, the year before she fell and had to go to assisted living. Since then, it's now just our children and grandkids, totally 11 of us. My husband always roasts a large turkey + a turkey breast and makes homemade mashed potatoes and gravy. I make an apple/cranberry stuffing in the crockpot, and a variety of salads and sides like corn and zucchini casserole and smothered green beans. The day before, I will bake a pumpkin pie and a fruit pie like cherry peach. My son-in-law makes homemade bread and a cranberry orange sauce, and my son and daughter-in-law will bring another homemade dessert and a small side dish representing her Chinese culture, such as lotus root. 
 

Wishing all who celebrate a Happy Thanksgiving. Please share a holiday memory from years past.