BLOGEMBER – DAY 1 – THE BEST THING ABOUT THANKSGIVING

I came up with a new way to keep my momentum on posting regularly.  Here’s my list for the first half of November.  I ended up choosing BOLGEMBER because the “ember” part made me think about a burning fire and harvest colors.

This is a tough category because there are SO MANY items, but I’ll narrow it down a bit.

  • BEING THANKFUL – I know it sounds cliche, but it truly is one of my favorite things about thanksgiving.  For one, it’s a non-religious holiday that is the most inclusive of our culture.  If you’re American, it is assumed that you celebrate Thanksgiving.  Setting aside time to give thanks for one’s blessings, along with holding feasts to celebrate a harvest, are both practices that long predate the European settlement America.  While Thanksgiving as we know it has adapted to fit what we like and shows very little resemblance to the original American Thanksgiving, the reason for it still exists.  It is the one holiday that is NOT really commercialized and is only about spending time with family and friends!
  • FRIENDS & FAMILY – MEMORIES – When I was a kid, most things were closed on Thanksgiving.  You’d find an occasional store open for last minute things like milk, bread and butter to put the finishing touches on your big dinner day, but for the most part EVERYTHING was closed and the day was spent at home with family and friends, eating yourself into comas, playing or watching football…
  • FALL SEASON – Since it is primarily a harvest celebration, the timing of the season is GORGEOUS!  The reds, oranges, yellows and ultimately browns of the leaves falling and the grasses dying for the season lend their “hands” to the gorgeous display of color.
  • AMAZING FOOD – When I was a kid my dad would start the prep days before for the BIG day.  He made the most amazing turkey and cornbread stuffing!  Over the years I have recreated his stuffing to my own Sourdough Herb version and added my own homemade cranberry relish to replace the canned stuff.  Personally, I’m not fond of the canned relish, but my son will eat nothing but! LOL 😀  The desserts used to be traditional pumpkin, apple and mincemeat pies, but I have adapted these also to add some homemade apple bread pudding, “regular” bread pudding (recipe below) and baked pineapple.  The gravy is still dad’s recipe minus the giblets. 😀  I see I need to get a few new pictures this year to update my recipes.

  • OFFICIAL START OF THE HOLIDAY SEASON – I have to start the day with the Macy’s parade while I’m bustling around the kitchen!  It is a tradition I’ve never grown out of.  It is also okay to officially start watching Christmas movies, though truth be told I do year round thanks to Hallmark 😀  There are also a handful of Harvest festivals and craft fairs to attend.

 

Patricia

I like the way you have everything planned out and the word you chose is perfect. Thanksgiving was one of my favorite holidays when I was a kid. It has changed alot in the last couple of years as our family has spread out more. I am honestly not sure what we will do this year. We have to now consider that the grands may be here with us or may be there with their Moma. However it is spent, I will be thankful for what we eat, the apartment we have to eat in and the food whatever it is to eat. So many have nothing and I am so blessed.

QuiltLady

Thanks, you made my point even more poignant by expressing my thoughts almost exactly! I too am blessed and glad I can be thankful and knowledgeable of it every day! 😀

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