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Holidays:  The Best of Thanksgiving Then / Thanksgiving Now  |
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Aunt Clemys Farm Girl
True Blue Farmgirl
157 Posts
Linda
MA
USA
157 Posts |
 Posted - Nov 14 2008 : 11:49:09 AM
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What are your best memories of Thanksgiving past and Thanksgiving present?
Thanksgiving was always about family and friends.
Inviting those who may not have a place to go.
Remembering those who were no longer with us.
Afternoons of board games played by all the generations at card tables set up all over the house. I can still hear the laughter and the joy of sharing good times. Little items from the Dollar Store were given to the winners --- young and old.
Afternoons of listening to stories about our past as we knew we would be the next to tell the present or next generation. No rolling of the eyes or saying "yes, we have heard that one before" from adult or child.
Afternoons of catching up on local and family news to be shared. A bit of gossip mixed in as well. Singing as the dishes were washed after dinner -- or telling long tales, jokes and good natured banter.
Afternoons of taking long walks. Reconnecting.
Afternoons filled with family joining to celebrate life.
The focus of the day was not timing dinner around a football kick off. No one left the table, plate in hand, in order not to miss a moment of the game.
Appetizers were something not heard of other than sneaking an olive off the relish dish or a bit of the turkey as it was being carved.
New traditions are added with the years, but this is basically what we try to continue.
Happy Thankgiving blessings to everyone.
Aunt Clemys Farm Girl
Farm Girl #300
Kansas to Massachusetts |
Edited by - Aunt Clemys Farm Girl on Nov 17 2008 08:10:40 AM |
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willowtreecreek
True Blue Farmgirl
4813 Posts
Julie
Russell
AR
USA
4813 Posts |
Posted - Nov 17 2008 : 08:29:15 AM
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As a kid thanksgiving wasnt a big deal really to myself or my family. When I was in the 7th grade my 13 year old cousin was killed in a car accident 3 weeks before thanksgiving. That was the first time I remember the ENTIRE family getting together for a Holiday. It was very healing for the whole family and became a tradition until most of us kids gradated from HS then it was just too hard to get everyone together. Those time were SOOOOO fun. I still think back on those years every thanksgiving. i have even implememted some of the traditions we formed into Thanksgiving with my family. I hope when my nephews get older (they are 16months and 2 months old) that we can have big family holidays with all of them.
Farmgirl Sister #17
Blog
www.willowtreecreek.wordpress.com
Felt and Fabric Crafts
www.willowartist.etsy.com
www.willowtreecreek.com
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soapmommy60543
True Blue Farmgirl
2197 Posts
Ann
Oswego
IL
USA
2197 Posts |
Posted - Nov 17 2008 : 08:44:08 AM
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In our family, then and now both, Thanksgiving is a great time to have with family and friends, but it is the warm-up event to the day we look forward to all year - Christmas Cookie Bake on the Friday after. Every year, we get together and bake/decorate cookies all day, then divide them up among each family. When my grandmother was alive and we had it at her house, she had an 8 ft dining room table that had 2 18" leaves that proppped up on the ends. We would cover that table at least a dozen times during the course of the day. Now that she's gone, and so is my mom, my sister and I are in charge and we have scaled back immensely. BUT we still continue the tradition.
Ann in Oswego
Times may be tough, but farmgirls are tougher!
Craft Fasting since October 21, 2008 |
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K-Falls Farmgirl
Chapter Leader
2096 Posts
Cheryl
Klamath Falls
Oregon
USA
2096 Posts |
Posted - Nov 17 2008 : 09:53:45 AM
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Thanksgiving past was awesome. My family went to my aunts & grandparents ( they lived on same property) there were 20 some of us all together and we as kids played outside making forts and climbing trees when there was no snow onthe ground. whenthere was we would haul our sled there and my dad & uncle would pull us behind the car inthe open field to my uncles house. We always played outside (probably because there were so many of us kids!) we would always have a huge turkey (my aunt would put in the oven like 4 am )and when we walked in the house it smelled heavenly. All the adults contributed to the meal. My grandma would tell me stories about her childhood and when my dad was young. After dinner we would draw names for christmas gift giving. We kids would play board games & jacks! Remember those?
Today my own family is spread out so we don't get together usually, But this year will be better. My two daughters their families are driving the 8 hours to be here together. 10 of us. We will have the feast of feasts Thanksgiving Day. Turkey and all the trimmings..( we always have too much food) We will have a wiener & marshmellow roast the next night around our new firepit. Hopefully this will begin a new tradition & give my grandkids a family memory.
http://www.k-fallsfarmgirl.blogspot.com/
Cheryl #309
Farm girl sister
Enjoy the little things in life....someday you'll look back and realize they were the big things. |
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Sheep Mom 2
True Blue Farmgirl
1534 Posts
Sheri
Elk
WA
USA
1534 Posts |
Posted - Nov 20 2008 : 4:12:39 PM
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| We always do a big get together on Thanksgiving. All the ladies sort through all the "black friday" ads in the paper while things are cooking to plan their early morning shopping plans. I like Thanksgiving better than Christmas just because it is less hectic. All of the kids live close by except my daughter in New York so we usually have anywhere from 12 to 18 for supper. My husband was killed in a car accident four days before Thanksgiving in 1989. The kids were small then just 3 and 8. The first Thanksgiving was so hard. I realized then that we are never really alone. My whole community rallied around us - supplied food and nurture not just for Thanksgiving but Christmas as well. I have another relationship with a great guy and his kids are as close as my own - in fact we make no distinctions between them at all. So each year as the holidays approach, I think about loss and I think about healing. I think about possibility. I think about how much I've learned by opening my heart and choosing folks to be family. I've learned that family includes whomever you love not just by blood. The one thing I have learned is that you never ever let an opportunity go by to say "I love You". You never know if that chance will ever come again. Thanksgiving blessings to everyone. |
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Holidays: The Best of Thanksgiving Then / Thanksgiving Now |
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The Best of Thanksgiving Then / Thanksgiving Now
