Thanksgiving has never been a big holiday for our family. When I was growing up, we were always stationed so far away from any family that it didn't seem to be a big deal. We weren't turkey eaters either so that played a part as well. As I grew older and before our parents moved to England, my sister and I would go to Mum's for dinner on Thanksgiving Day, but it wasn't much different that going over there for spaghetti on Saturday night or any other meal.
As I got older, we did a variety of things. We spent several years with my sister's boyfriend's family. Thanksgiving was a huge production for them with the grown-up kids traveling home with their kids and everyone sitting down to a huge turkey and all the fixings. Sometimes I thought it would be nice to have had this tradition, but other times I could take it or leave it.
Now that I'm even older, we have a tradition of our own - there's just the three of us so we have a small turkey - usually a boneless turkey breast that I roast and serve with rice and mashed potatoes (rice for Vic and Sophia, mashed potatoes for me!), gravy, corn, green bean casserole and cranberry jelly. We watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade and play parade bingo (you can find the bingo sheets free online and it's a lot of fun). Vic runs out to get the newspaper with all the ads so we can see if there is anything that we just can't live without on sale on Black Friday. As soon as the turkey platter hits the dishwasher, out come the Christmas decorations and it's time to prepare for the holiday that is really celebrated in this house.
Well, it's time for a new tradition. This year, Sophia will be away at college on the West Coast. She'll be living with my sister and her family and they entertain quite a bit (my BIL is an amazing cook) and so no doubt, their house will be full of friends for Thanksgiving. Since we're (almost positive we are) heading to the West Coast next summer, we won't be making a trip out there this holiday season so we have decided to look for a bed and breakfast inn in central Virginia (near the Charlottesville area) and have Thanksgiving there, just the two of us. We hope to make it a long weekend and explore some of the Presidential homes that we haven't visited yet. Fingers crossed that it all works out as last year, Vic was traveling home from East Africa on the day before Thanksgiving so we don't know yet if he'll be making a return trip this year.
And that, friends, is Thanksgiving in this household!