Dessert

A North Carolina or a Pennsylvania Thanksgiving

Elizabeth here.  Our family of 4 (me, Chad, Caroline and Ellie) has always traveled to either North Carolina or Pennsylvania for Thanksgiving. My parents are in NC. My sister lives in Georgia and often makes the trip to NC when we’re there.  Sometimes we spend Thanksgiving Day with my mom and stepfather and some years we spend the day with my dad, stepmother, half brother and extended family. Some years friends and other family join us for dinner and some years not.  We also try to make time to see friends when in NC, too. It’s always a whirlwind, but I love seeing everyone!

When we travel to Pennsylvania, we spend the holiday weekend with Chad’s parents, his brothers, their wives and their children. Then the day after Thanksgiving, Chad’s Uncle, Aunt and 5 cousins and their spouses and children come spend the day with us. It’s a big crowd, but lots of fun.

Family, Gratitude and Games

Our tradition is being with family.  Part of our tradition is to take a few minutes to go around the table and give each person a chance to tell everyone what they’re grateful for. I love this tradition and I especially love hearing what all the children have to say.  

As a child, I always loved watching the Macy’s Day Parade!  I still do and both my children enjoy it now, too! After our meal, we often play some sort of game: Apples to Apples, Taboo, Head’s Up.  For us it’s a fun way for everyone to connect.

Thanksgiving Sides

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Thanksgiving Day means different things to different people.  Some families have traditions that are very important to them to continue each year. Other people may not have specific plans or may choose to spend the day with a small or large group of friends.  For some, it brings excitement and for others it can be a difficult day. Food, of course, is a big part of the Thanksgiving holiday and we think it’s fascinating to hear how different people celebrate. We thought we’d share with you our families’ plans and a couple of recipes we make for the holiday. 

Our North Carolina Thanksgiving

On Thanksgiving, for the last several years, my family of 5 and my mother join my sister’s family at their house that’s a short 45 minute drive away. The focus of the day is for the 5 young cousins to be together and hopefully for the adults to not work too hard. Each adult typically has a job of making one or two food items for the Thanksgiving meal. My sister makes corn pudding and a green vegetable, like roasted brussel sprouts. My brother-in-law often makes an amazing apple and sausage stuffing and a new and different dessert each year. My mother makes a cranberry orange salad and brings rolls that are often the hit of the grandchildren. My husband makes the turkey and has perfected the process using Alton Brown’s recipe for brining a turkey. (One year, my husband decided to make a beef tenderloin rather than a turkey and we are still hearing about this travesty from the 12 and under crowd.) I make the pumpkin pies. I wouldn’t say the adults in our family are particularly fans of tradition, but this division of labor seems to work for us. The meal choices were mostly driven by what the individual members think must be present at the Thanksgiving meal. My husband is the one that says there must be pumpkin pie every year. …

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