Thanksgivings of Memories Past
Thanksgiving has all the right ingredients for success—family, food, football, and the promise of a morning full of low-priced shopping. It’s like a little slice of heaven on earth! Yet there is plenty that could go unexpected too.
Families may squabble and bicker, turkeys may get scorched beyond recognition, but, in the end, Thanksgiving is a special time full of fun memories. Here are just a few we collected.
“One Thanksgiving we invited a ton of people over for a huge meal. I was determined to make sure the turkey would be cooked properly so I started thawing it right away in the oven. The only problem? I forgot to take the plastic off first and it melted to the bird. Needless to say, our Thanksgiving dinner consisted of hamburgers and French fries that night.” ~ Elaine
“My mother is an excellent cook and she takes Thanksgiving very seriously. One year she cooked all the trimmings—stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, pies, the works. Then, about four hours into her cooking process, she opened the oven and realized that she never turned it on. The turkey was still raw!” ~ John
“Thanksgiving is one of my warmest memories. We would host dinner at our house, attend a Thanksgiving service at our church, then bring everyone back to our house for games. We would always FINISH one full game of monopoly with our guests; this often lasted until at least 2am!” ~ Vonnie
“I remember my sister hosting Thanksgiving dinner in her brand-new apartment for the first time. She was so nervous about messing something up in front of our family members. The dinner went over great and everyone raved about the great tasting food and the posh apartment. It wasn’t until later that she admitted that the turkey had slid off the plate and fallen on the kitchen floor right before dinner. She picked everything up off the floor, rearranged it on the plate, and served it to the family.” ~ Sharon
“One year I was in charge of making the cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving dinner with a bunch of friends. I looked up a recipe online and made it exactly how I was supposed to except for one small detail—I forgot to cook the cranberries. They were all raw! Everyone tried to make me feel better by telling me it was unique with the very crunchy texture and “bright flavors.” ~ Louise
“My late husband and I moved across the country immediately after getting married, leaving behind all our family and friends. I remember the first Thanksgiving being particularly hard for me as I missed our loved ones. We took a trip out of town, however, and ended up eating our big Thanksgiving meal at a Denny’s. The food wasn’t half bad, and, although I sure did miss my mom’s cooking, the laughter and love we shared at that first holiday together lives on in my mind to this day.” ~ Shelley