Thanksgiving Day Traditions And Memories

A week of Thanksgiving is in store for you at Ignite Your. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, Christmas being a close second. What I love about Thanksgiving is well…EVERYTHING. The food , the meaning behind it, the time spent with family and friends and let’s not forget the parade.

Ever since I was a kid I have loved Thanksgiving. I loved learning about the first Thanksgiving with the pilgrims and Native Americans in school. I loved the idea of everyone sharing a day of thankfulness with others. This is a holiday for everyone regardless of religion or other beliefs. It is a holiday to remember and reach out to those who don’t have enough to eat and to continue doing so throughout the year.

Which brings me to the food. What is it about a Thanksgiving meal that makes my mouth water just thinking about it? Is it because we only eat it once a year? Is that what makes it special? Or perhaps it’s all of the colors and smells that entice us. Maybe it’s just about the most perfect comfort food there is. And no matter whose house you go to on that day, pretty much the same things will be served everywhere. Oh, there will be different versions of everything but all in all, the same things will be enjoyed by everyone that day. How cool is that? What other holiday can stake that claim?

Another shared experience by many and an absolute must in our family is watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on T.V. My sisters and I would watch it every year while either my mom or grandmother prepared dinner. I have since carried on this tradition with my own kids.

The excitement still builds for me as I watch the many balloons, floats and bands come down Broadway. Not to mention the performances by the Rocketts and others. Of course the biggest star of the parade besides the giant ride-on Tom Turkey is Santa Clause. There is something magical about seeing the man in the red suit every year. It’s the start of the holiday season and if fills me with joy.

Thanksgiving is one of those holidays that family and friends really come together to share. It’s a day to dress up your table with a pretty table cloth and the “good” dishes.  It’s a day to make a special centerpiece for the table and reflect on the many things in life to be grateful for. It’s also one of those holidays that inevitably you play “remember when” and reminisce about past Thanksgivings.

Here are a few of my favorite Thanksgiving Day memories:

- Helping my grandmother un-stuff the turkey and eating the bits and pieces left behind.

- Going to church with just my dad when I was younger. We got to sit in the big church and not the “cry room” with my younger sisters.

- Hosting my first ever Thanksgiving in our new home at the time in  1993  . I felt my grandmother had passed the holiday on to me. I will never forget her helping me make the gravy in her turkey pan. I still use that pan every year.

- Celebrating each of our children’s first Thanksgivings.

- This one is from my kids- Watching their grandpa (my father-in-law) eat with the serving fork every year. Below is a picture of the serving fork next to a regular one. Seriously, the serving fork is like a caveman’s!

-  Enjoying the chocolate turkey’s my Aunt Helen would decorate the table with.

And finally-

-  Spending the evening in the emergency room with my husband after he broke his foot. And how did he brake it? Rushing down the stairs to get back to the Cowboys’ game! Thankfully we had already eaten.

So, what are some of your favorite Thanksgiving day memories?

Don’t forget to visit the Tidbit Page. A new Thanksgiving poll is up!

Tagged as: Macy's, Thanksgiving Day