Celebrating Thanksgiving

Dear Family and Friends,

    Three years ago in late October, we moved to Kalamazoo, far from anyone we knew.  When we settled in, we tried to find someone to come and eat Thanksgiving dinner with us because we were used to a large family gathering and thought that we would need that to feel happy about the holiday; but we were new here, and everyone had already made plans--so for the first time we prepared to celebrate Thanksgiving with only our own household.  We planned the menu, made the pies, and surprised ourselves at how this lovely small gathering of gratitude still felt joyful, pleasant and celebratory.

    I know this year is going to be different for lots of people.  Gatherings will be smaller, or will not happen, many spending Thanksgiving in their own homes, and some quite alone as we try to be safe from the pandemic.  I wanted to share some things I have learned about Thanksgiving, in hopes that it might help with your altered celebration.

    Thanksgiving is sacred to me, a true holy-day.  I didn't really understand this until I came to this new type of celebration.  As I spend time working to create an extraordinary meal for my family, it becomes contemplative. I spend time thinking about them, about the year that has passed, and because of some items on our menu, the harvest and preservation work that we have done.  I am filled with gratitude for the abundance. 

    The work is more, because we obviously don't have aunts and grandmas to fill in the menu, but we choose what we want to eat, and work for it just the same.  We often think of the people that made a certain dish--like Tiffany's pretzel salad, or Dave making the green bean casserole (which I believe he does in memory of when Aunt Lou used to bring it.) We remember the Gigantic Pot of mashed potatoes that Grandma Jacobson makes every year with boats of gravy. We miss them as we reminisce, but we are making our own mashed potatoes and we will rejoice in them too.

    The leftovers are more. Yes! this is the BEST part of having Thanksgiving with a small group: ALL the leftovers are at my house. There is no dish I have to think about wistfully because it drove home across town or to a different state. No! they are right here for my personal consumption happiness.  The kids have also loved this part. It makes Thanksgiving go on for days of picking turkey and reheating stuffing for afternoon snacks. Yum!

    We have made some new traditions. We make a big poster of all the things we can think of that we are thankful for.  Sometimes it is cute (if Leslie or Miriam make it so), but always it is crammed with the list of good things in our lives.  Family members add to it throughout the day. It is fun to read what they are grateful for this year. We try to set a pretty table; we put in a leaf (not for visitors to sit at, but to hold all the FOOD!) and take a picture of our meal to remember the dazzle of it all.  We make calls to family and we sometimes watch a movie or put together a puzzle.

    If you are planning your own Thanksgiving at home, here are some things that might be useful:

1) Plan your menu in detail and write it down. Consider your number of servings and your own stamina.  Creating a feast by yourself is plenty of work, so involve any available people.  Also, if you are serving just your family, ask yourself, "What do we really want to eat?" It might surprise you at the answer. I have one friend who eats steak for Thanksgiving. 

2) Make a shopping list consulting your recipes so you don't forget anything. Again, the details are what will make or break it. Consult your supplies so you don't run out of the regular bits, like butter.  Thanksgiving at my house takes lots of butter, eggs, sour cream and cream cheese.

3) Make a time plan, noting everything that can be made early.  I usually spend the day before on pies.  The real trick about Thanksgiving is getting everything hot at the same time, especially when the turkey has been 'hogging' the oven all morning. You can read more details about time plans here.

4) Find ways to reach out to those you love even if you can't be together. Talk to them about the things you are grateful for. Everything is happier when we focus on joy and gratitude.

5) Give thanks. God has provided again for us. This is precious time.

Here is another link that might be useful:

Thanksgiving Recipe Ideas

Blessings on your home and celebration!

Love,

Jenny