AUTHOR: ARTSY CHOW ROAMER

Thanksgiving

HOW DO YOU CELEBRATE IT?

So it is another year coming to an end and I am dragging out the Christmas decorations again. Where did the year go? It is Thanksgiving and I am contemplating how my family celebrates it. How ‘bout you?

What are the particular things that you and yours do that makes the season special and “makes memories” as my mother likes to say?

My family used to travel every Thanksgiving to Charlottesville, Virginia to spend it with my father’s parents. Full of memories we still keep alive today, the trip was always special and magical in so many ways.

The traditional house built for Hallie by Pap was full of antiques and treasures. Things we could touch and things not allowed. Bird seed for the trip made from Chex Savory mix, chocolate covered raisins and assorted nuts which was the sort of thing that worked for road trips, games or just snacks on turkey day.

Hallie would always have nonpareils for my father since it was his favorite. Custard instead of Egg Nog was the sweet drink of choice. A visit to the dairy for fresh products was a must. Weather permitting, we played croquet and walked on stilts.

The wall of rocks enclosed the cemetery down the road and we visited the graves of relatives past and unknowns with fantastical memorials including mausoleums. Downtown shopping trips produced trolls paper dolls and slinkies to walk down the big grand staircase in the hall.

Shoot forward and we still do some of the same things from the past to keep it alive but my husband and I also have a few traditions of our own. Let’s visit special holidays and customs with this post.

CLAP CLAP-COCKTAILS!

The holidays are a time for checking out both new and old establishments where you like the drinks and the bartender. One of our favorites when heading to my family is J Alexanders in Chattanooga, TN. It is a chain but it doesn’t have that feel.

We like to hit it on the way home for a traditional martini and a small plate. This time it was just a plate of french fries-but what a plate! Fried to perfection and served with any number of sauces, they are perfect with a generous martini served super cold with extra on ice on the side. Cheers!

PICK A GOOD MOVIE!

We don’t usually go to theaters for a movie anymore with Netflix and Amazon TV but the holidays beg for a try at something good. If a new Bond flick is out-well perfect! If not, how about something like a dramatic thriller?

This year we picked The Good Liar with Helen Mirren and Ian McKellen. You start out thinking it is the typical bad guy picking out a victim to take advantage of. Oh my, the ending is so unexpected, so fitting and so good!

Not your cup of tea? How about the guy who plays Bond doing something different called Knives Out? He plays a detective looking into a murder that everyone hoped looked like a suicide in the family. What’s not to love about this one?

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE FOOD RIGHT?

It really is all about the food. Do you bake your turkey or fry it? Bread dressing, stuffing or cornbread dressing? Do you buy jellied cranberries or make your own?

White potatoes or sweet? Green peas or beans? Do you put egg in your gravy or some sort of booze? Ever try something new like beer butter carrots or roasted Brussel sprouts with balsamic vinegar?

Does somebody always bring a green bean casserole with fried onions and some kind of cream of something soup that is either a hit or a miss? How about Deviled Eggs? Yes or no?

What about desserts? We usually do a pound cake like my grandmother or pecan pie or maybe fruit cake. A lot of people moan over that and just say no but they never tried my grandmothers. She baked them for the boys in the war and they loved them.

She even managed to make a small business with those cakes. Hallie was a plain cook but a very good one. She is famous for saying “Are you cuckoo …I can’t gobble gobble when I’m hot!”; referring to the cooking turkey and I have no idea where it came from other than trying to entertain children with a thousand questions.

SEC IS WHERE IT’S AT

Last game of the season for Tennessee is with their earliest and oldest rival Vanderbilt. Perfect for a good Thanksgiving watch. We haven’t been that great this year as you might have read in my previous blog.

But it just isn’t a holiday without a good game on. Maybe it won’t be this one. Could be the game between Alabama and Auburn but SEC will always excite and a must have in the background of any get together.

WHAT’S THANKSGIVING WITHOUT BLACK FRIDAY?

I used to avoid black Friday like molar extraction. Then last year, my husband and I decided to take a chance and just get out and about and do it.

How surprised were we when we found a parking spot right off the bat? How shocking when there were no coupons on offer and not nearly as many specials as usual.

The culprit? Online shopping. Much easier as I have discovered but not nearly as …shall we say…fun. I like to see the mall decorations and Santa Clause. I like smelling coffee and goodies baking.

While I don’t like standing in line-we break it up by buying two gifts and stopping for a drink. Buying two more and seeing a movie. Than we buy another three and have dinner. This type of thing makes shopping fun and not the dreaded trip that most people think of it as.

GAME PLAYING

For most families, you are either game players or not. You can tell the ones who aren’t. They aren’t very good, they aren’t competitive and they look at you weirdly when you are.

HA! Yes it is only a game but there are always family members who really REALLY want to win. Then there are the ones that constantly remind you of the rules. The ones that play referee until you want to slap them.

It is always a source of arguments usually starting with a comment like “What did you say?'“ Or “Why did you play that card?” Or how about the person who can not seem to ever match up the dominoes numbers?

Drinking while playing is both a good thing and bad. It can make you more easy going about winning but much less patient with the arguments and snipes.

BEING THANKFUL

However you celebrate, be thankful as well. Be happy with less, be grateful for more. Don’t take things for granted like still having your parents here. I miss one of mine more than you will ever know.

If you have good health-be ever more grateful-it is more than you know. Hold your family traditions close and don’t forget them. Start new ones and make your own memories that your family members will remember later and laugh about.

Don’t forego family for work and other commitments. You will never be happy you made that choice unless you have ax murderers for family. 😲

CONCLUSION

Well, I think that just about does it for this holiday. If you liked what you read, you might want to read other blogs under Just Because. Hey, don’t be a stranger! Tell me about some of the things you do to celebrate the holiday or things you would like to share with others. Even tell me what you might like to read about OK? Until next time…

Cheers & Happy Turkey Day,

ArtsyChowRoamer

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