Favorite Thanksgiving Day Memory

[NOTSMC]

I pretty much hate Thanksgiving anymore. Once I retired it was all about having to help make the dinner/clean the house/etc because I was "the girl" and that's what girls did in my family. Still don't like it much but I try for the sake of my son to make it fun and festive.

I have one memory that will date the hell out of me. My dad was still in the Navy. We were kids. At the time, an older brother and two younger brothers. Dad had duty Thanksgiving Day and we were invited aboard the Orion I think for dinner in the officers wardroom.

So there's this big table covered with white linen, water goblets, wine glasses, six piece place settings, small plates inside larger plates, soup bowls, you name it. And stewards, dressed in starched white coats, all Filipinos. Yup real honest to God stewards, that went from plate to plate to serve you.

That was the very first time I had ever seen shrimp cocktail. It was served in a wine glass if I recall correctly with a small fork and the cocktail sauce inside the glass. I remember eating one and thinking OMG what is this wonderful thing I'm eating. Then sweet potatoes with lightly browned marshmallows. Marshmallows!!! My mother never made sweet potatoes with marshmallows. I didn't know such a thing even existed.

I bugged my mother for years to have shrimp cocktail w/Thanksgiving dinner. Never did get it.

And afterwards we were treated to a movie inside the wardroom. Ben Hur, brand new release on a reel.

That will always be Thanksgiving to me, the day I discovered shrimp cocktail and marshmallows on sweet potatoes.

 

[LJ1999]

I always enjoyed Thanksgiving and after my father died, it became one of my favorite holidays. He and I would carve the Turkey each year, talking like Julia Childs. Ever since he died, I can't carve the turkey. I usually tear up and have to go outside to take a break.

 

[stgislander]

Graduating from the kids' table.

 

[NOTSMC]

I always enjoyed Thanksgiving and after my father died, it became one of my favorite holidays. He and I would carve the Turkey each year, talking like Julia Childs. Ever since he died, I can't carve the turkey. I usually tear up and have to go outside to take a break.

What a nice memory though - talking like Juia Childs. I feel for you there. My mother and I weren't very close, but my dad hung the moon. My favorite memory with him was shucking oysters and eating them raw, something my brothers would never consider. Then clearing the table and doing dishes with him. It was our time, sometimes we'd talk, sometimes we'd just work side by side.

I forgotten about that. Thanks for sharing. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.

 

[NOTSMC]

Graduating from the kids' table.

Reached a point in my family where I wanted to sit at the kids table. That's where the dogs hung out.

 

[stgislander]

Having both American and Italian food at my grandparents' house.

 

[Kyle]

The Great Turkey Fire of '67'.

 

[NOTSMC]

Having both American and Italian food at my grandparents' house.

We used to do that too. My SIL was Italian and always spent Thanksgiving with us.

 

[NOTSMC]

The Great Turkey Fire of '67'.

You got some 'splainin' to do,

 

[Kyle]

You got some 'splainin' to do,

Happy Ending for the holiday... I got to climb up on the Fire Truck and ring the bell.

 

[RoseRed]

Going to my maternal grandparents. Grandfather always did the turkey on the Weber. He and his Italian buds would get all drunked up and sing O Sole Mio... and my grandmother always spilled red wine on the white tablecloth and rug.



Or the time someone put a bottle of Cold Duck in the freezer and forgot about it. It burst and looked like a pink slurpee.

Or the time they got into a big fight and he threw the Christmas tree on the floor. Good times! I was the only one that saw the humor in that.

 

[Kyle]

Going to my maternal grandparents. Grandfather always did the turkey on the Weber. He and his Italian buds would get all drunked up and sing O Sole Mio... and my grandmother always spilled red wine on the white tablecloth and rug.

Or the time someone put a bottle of Cold Duck in the freezer and forgot about it. It burst and looked like a pink slurpee.

Or the time they got into a big fight and he threw the Christmas tree on the floor. Good times! I was the only one that saw the humor in that.

Family are so much fun.

 

[NOTSMC]

Happy Ending for the holiday... I got to climb up on the Fire Truck and ring the bell.

Oh. Well that explains everything.

 

[RoseRed]

Family are so much fun.

Right!?! The stories I could tell...

 

[NOTSMC]

Going to my maternal grandparents. Grandfather always did the turkey on the Weber. He and his Italian buds would get all drunked up and sing O Sole Mio... and my grandmother always spilled red wine on the white tablecloth and rug.



Or the time someone put a bottle of Cold Duck in the freezer and forgot about it. It burst and looked like a pink slurpee.

Or the time they got into a big fight and he threw the Christmas tree on the floor. Good times! I was the only one that saw the humor in that.

I see the humor in it. As long as it happened to someone else.

 

[Kyle]

Oh. Well that explains everything.

Oh... The boring part. Ah.

Well, the Turkeys foils pan had a crack/hole in it and eventually leaked turkey grease into the bottom of the oven.

Unfortunately it went past smoking and with no fire extinguisher handy, Chillum-Adelphi 34/44 had to be called.



It got tossed, but we should have given it to the Bumpeses Dogs.

 

[NOTSMC]

Oh... The boring part. Ah.

Well, the Turkeys foils pan had a crack/hole in it and eventually leaked turkey grease into the bottom of the oven.

Unfortunately it went past smoking and with no fire extinguisher handy, Chillum-Adelphi 34/44 had to be called.

Oh Lord. Your poor mother. Take it the turkey was unsalvagable?

 

[Kyle]

Oh Lord. Your poor mother.

That's the exact phrase most of my teachers and principles use to say.

 

[NOTSMC]

That's the exact phrase most of my teachers and principles use to say.

I have no problem believing that.

 

[NextJen]

A memory that stands out for me is the Thanksgiving I first met the whole Italian side of my ex’s family. Complete culture shock to me from spending quiet dinners at home with my small family of 5 where we were pretty quiet at the table.
My MIL was a fantastic cook. She was not Italian, was African American and from the country in WV. Her Italian in-laws taught her some of their cooking and man, if she was still alive I’d probably still be married just to have her cooking!
Back to my first Thanksgiving at their home….they lived in a row house in SE and would set tables end to end in the basement and cover with white table cloths and put out the fancy china and gold plated silverware (quite the contrast to the cinderblock walls).
The table was set with a turkey on it that looked like the cover of the November issue of Better Homes and Gardens magazine. Along with that was all the traditional TG fare and huge bowls of penne pasta topped with her homemade sauce (drooling just thinking of it).
Well it got quiet and someone said Grace. As soon as Grace was done it was like an explosion went off. Someone grabbed the platter with the turkey and set it on a side table. Everyone jumped up with their plates and bowls and started working their way around the table filling up and ‘yelling’ at each other (I later learned this is just how they normally communicated). My ex was in the fray. My MIL caught my eye and my shock and she leaned over and said, “Honey, if you wanna make it in this family you better get up and take care of yourself.”
Little did I know how prophetic those words were.
But it is a great memory