Thanksgiving Memories

My earliest recollections of Thanksgiving put the whole family in Columbus, Ohio, at my grandparents on my mother's side of the family. That was due to several reasons, including the size of Gracie's dining room, the number of relatives who congregated and were always glad to see us, and the fact that the Ohio State-Michigan football game was usually played around Thanksgiving, and my parents just loved to attend it.

It was a huge festive occasion with aunts, uncles, and cousins, the adults eating at Gracie's huge, long table and the kids eating at card tables, getting away with murder while the adults were not paying one bit of attention! It is no wonder we all overate! The table almost groaned under all of the food!

We had a fresh turkey, so fresh it had been beheaded only that morning by my grandfather, as we watched in amazement! (You know that story about a chicken running around with its head cut off...) As kids, we had the dubious honor of helping remove the pinfeathers from said bird, not a pleasant task, I can assure you! For some reason, our Thanksgiving bird was always named "Archie," but I have no idea why! By the time the bird was roasted in the basement oven to a golden brown, our mouths were watering! There was, of course, the usual mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, and sweet potatoes, as well as brussel sprouts, a relish tray with homemade pickles, spiced peaches, pears, and apples, and lots of olives! There were homemade rolls and real butter, sometimes also accompanied by freshly made apple butter. YUMMY! Sometimes by the time the main part of dinner was over, we needed to sit (or lie down on the floor) for a while to let that settle before digging in to pumpkin and mincemeat pies, topped with whipped cream. And, OH! the stories that would go around the table, with the combined roaring laughter, as various ones would remember past years' adventures. Sometimes, of course, they quieted each other down so we children could not hear what was being said, which I always thought was rather rude of them! I never did hear some of those tales!

I can remember that often we would play card games after the mid-day dinner, and the biggest treat for us kids would be watching Gracie's new television which always had Milton Berle on the Texaco show for a Thanksgiving special. We just loved Uncle Miltie! Sometimes there would be other specials on, too, which is where I developed a greater appreciation for Jack Benny. In later years, they began to show wonderful movies, too, which we loved to watch, like the Wizard of Oz, one of my all-time favorites!

After we moved to the Philippines and Okinawa for three years, by the time we returned, things had changed drastically. Gracie and Lowell had sold their house off High Street and Dunedin and had moved to Upper Arlington to a smaller duplex, so there were no more dinners like that. My other grandparents had moved from New York to a smaller home in Akron, so there were no more gatherings there, either. My parents began to have the dinners for many years, until, then it became my turn for many years. Now, it seems, I have turned over the joy of having THE dinner over to our children, in hopes that the memories they make will live in their children's hearts as my childhood memories did! Happy memories and a happy and blessed Thanksgiving to all!