Blog Carnival: Thanksgiving Traditions

Thanksgiving is just around the corner - two weeks from today. Internally, I'm already panicking at the thought of concocting another stellar dessert recipe for my family gathering. In the past, I've played the part of hostess, but now that we are in a smaller home, we just don't have the room to accomodate our growing family. Instead, we'll trek over to my aunt's house and spend Thanksgiving with my mother's family. This is something we all look forward to. My Aunt Sharon and Uncle Pete are wonderful hosts. Their basement is the stuff that kids' dreams are made of - complete with an XBOX360, Playstation 3, Computer, Ping Pong table, Pool Table and even foosball (have I mentioned that Uncle Pete is a pretty big kid himself?!). Unbelievably, there's still room for the youngest kids to run around down there. Needless to say, nobody complains about spending the holidays at Pete and Sharon's!

My husband and I usually spend Thanksgiving morning together - nuzzled up with our coffee and my famous french toast (made with Hawaiian bread - so yummy!). In the early afternoon, we'll make our way to Michigan City and pick my son up from his dad's house. He'll be stuffed full of turkey and pumpkin pie by then, but he'll be anxiously awaiting our arrival so he can play with the rest of the kids in the basement. Upon arrival, I'll face the inquistion - everyone wants to know what I made for dessert. The men and kids will head to the basement while us women tend to the kitchen and catch up on family gossip. When the turkey is ready, Uncle Leon will take on the carving duties. After stuffing ourselves full of yummy dishes, we'll all retreat to the basement to make fun of each other while playing Rock Band and pool. A glass of wine or two later, we'll discuss where we'll be heading in the morning for Black Friday shopping. Feeling like overstuffed gluttons, we'll head home and get some early rest to prepare us for shopping in the morning.

Thanksgiving weekend is when we'll put up our Christmas tree. I've done real trees in the past, and never again! I hate the smell of pine and I hate the cleanup of needles and the incessant watering even more. Fake for me, please. Luckily, we purchased a fake tree last year - so it's just a matter of assembling the darn thing, slapping the ornaments up and admiring our handiwork. We'll celebrate with hot chocolate and the Alvin and the Chipmunks Christmas CD...