Thanksgiving Traditions

Mr. Green Jeans

Mr. Green Jeans

New member
Care to share any holiday traditions be it food or other that have been passed down through your families?

In the MJG family the men going on 5th generation now have always done the turkey and stuffing, southern sausage style.

Also my mom always made a square salad. You know the jello with cranberries and nuts one because it disgusted my father so and two because we were raised Lutheran and that was pounded into our heads in confirmation class. Thou shalt have square salad at all church and family gatherings.
 
Deelady

Deelady

New member
LOL Great minds think alike!!! That was a funny coincidence in timing!! ;)


Unfortunately my family hasn't really been together for the Holidays like we use to be for many years now....guess its just time to start my own families traditions.
But I am indeed looking very forward to it!! :)
 
VeraBlue

VeraBlue

Head Mistress
Gold Site Supporter
The menu is the tradition - 98% of it must remain unchanged. We also like to play put and take, a dice game after dinner.
 
Love2"Q"

Love2"Q"

New member
when my wife and i got married and into our own house we decided it
was time to make our own traditions ..
first one .. if you want to see us .. come over ..
we spent years driving to 4 different houses on turkey day ..
no more ..
next .. DW gets up and makes a sausage gravy and biscuits ..
and last .. the christmas tree goes up on turkey day ..
 
Cooksie

Cooksie

Well-known member
Site Supporter
For my side of the family, the tv is always tuned to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade while all the cooking is going on, and everyone knows not to try to turn the channel. The star of the show was always my mother's cornbread dressing, but she doesn't cook anymore. Nowadays, I try my best to replicate hers. After all is done and put away, I have to cruise through the black Friday ads.

On my husband's side of the family, the turkey and noodles were the star of the show, along with inside and outside stuffing. I had never heard of having turkey/noodles until I ate Thanksgiving with his family. Since hubby ended up with the pasta machine, we have been trying to keep up with the noodle tradition.
 
Sass Muffin

Sass Muffin

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It was always such fun when we stuck to traditions through the years while my parents were still alive.
Same as Cooksie, the Macy's parade was on television.
Kids and dogs running around, noise, laughter, wonderful smells.
Turkey always, never ham.
Noodles over the mashed potatoes
Brussels sprouts
Corn
Mom's 3 bean/onion/boiled egg salad which everyone loved on turkey day only because we'd dip the white meat in the sauce it left on your plate lol
Tons of pies and coffee on all day
Weather permitting, touch football
Always some guitar and piano playing toward evening, with everyone singing (and burping) and grumbling because they ate too much.
 
PieSusan

PieSusan

Tortes Are Us
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Well, the most important Thanksgiving tradition is being together. I know what my mom and I did when my dad was still living. It was pretty much the same menu throughout childhood. Occasionally she would add something new. The biggest tradition was the apple pie a la mode (cinnamon or vanilla ice cream), pumpkin pie and some third dessert--usually chocolate.

It is a bit sad that I cannot do that anymore--at some point, I will be able to invite friends over and make dinner. I love turkey and all the fixings and use to make it all the time. I am just not able to have thyme anymore and that is THE thanksgiving herb to me.
 
Mama

Mama

Queen of Cornbread
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My Thanksgiving herb is Sage. We have pretty much the same HUGE menu every year. Everyone eats till they're sick and then lies around watching football and laughing all afternoon moaning and complaining about how full they are. That night we watch the lighting of the Great Tree on TV. After that we all watch "It's a Wonderful Life" to kick off the Christmas season.
 
Fisher's Mom

Fisher's Mom

Mother Superior
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Mine is probably sage, too. But for me - it's the cranberry sauce that makes it Thanksgiving. I love that stuff. The canned, jellied variety.
 
Maverick2272

Maverick2272

Stewed Monkey
Super Site Supporter
Can't say as we really have any. The menu changes year to year, we don't always put up the Christmas tree at that time, and I can't think of any show or anything else that is done or watched every year.
I guess we never really thought of it before. When we were younger we were always traveling for Thanksgiving, but we stopped that and started having it at home mostly so we could do it our way, LOL. Both our parents were dead set in their ways and would never let us introduce new dishes or ideas into it.
Eventually we stopped talking to any of them, and as a result also officially cut with anything that might have been a family tradition. Guess this means maybe it is time for some new ones of our own? Maybe start with the traditional playing of the Wii??
 
Cooksie

Cooksie

Well-known member
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Love2"Q" said:
when my wife and i got married and into our own house we decided it
was time to make our own traditions ..
first one .. if you want to see us .. come over ..
we spent years driving to 4 different houses on turkey day ..
no more ..
next .. DW gets up and makes a sausage gravy and biscuits ..
and last .. the christmas tree goes up on turkey day ..
Click to expand...

I put mine up the day after Thanksgiving, usually with very little help from The Scrooge. I can't wait for the "Show Me Your Christmas Tree Thread!" :biggrin:
 
Mr. Green Jeans

Mr. Green Jeans

New member
Cooksie said:
I put mine up the day after Thanksgiving, usually with very little help from The Scrooge. I can't wait for the "Show Me Your Christmas Tree Thread!" :biggrin:
Click to expand...

We've already had that discussion as well. LOL! Right now the debate is do I go over to my Boar's Nest neighbor and cut one of their sheared trees? Or, get a forest service permit and to the Griswold thing by going into the mountains and selecting the MJG Christmas tree. Who has the saw? Very full, lots of sap!
 
homecook

homecook

New member
We really don't have any "traditions" for Thanksgiving, except the food is ALWAYS the same!! lol Oh and DH and DS watch A Christmas Story!!!
 
VeraBlue

VeraBlue

Head Mistress
Gold Site Supporter
The day before Thanksgiving was always half a day at school...so I got in the habit of letting my kids stay home that day to cook with me in the kitchen. Coco managed to get the day off from work tomorrow so we'll have all day, just like when they were kids, in the kitchen!
 
JoeV

JoeV

Dough Boy
Site Supporter
The main dishes pretty much stay the same with a stuffed turkey, candied sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes with pan gravy, green been casserole (aka "Company beans":lol:), jellied cranberries, candied carrots and homemade breads from yours truly. The desserts change frequently as the kids have grown and now are having kids of their own, and they like to bring new and different desserts, and ALWAYS new appetizers. My twin always make Slovenian Potica, and I will be bringing Sticky Buns this year as wellas the breads. We are a cooking and baking family with one nephew who is a chef, so the food is always varied and fantastic. The men do most of the big cooking, and me and my twin do the dishes after dinner. Our DW's like this! This is done every year on my brother's farm, and the kids all like to take the horses out on trail rides.
 
K

Kimchee

Guest
I don't really consider them traditions, but one thing I remember of Turkey Day was always having a green onion with my Dad. Raw, dip the tip in a bit of salt every other bite. Didn't really like them then, but always had one.

We also HAD to have that darn parade on, don't turn that dial!!!!!

It was the only time of the year (mayyyybe once or twice otherwise..) that Dad got out the oh-so-cool ELECTRIC KNIFE! Gosh, I loved that thing, couldn't even touch it but it was neato mosquito like a frito cool!

Food-wise, standard fare.. turkey, mashed taters, green bean casserole (Dad's contribution), crudite plate, sweet potato casserole, gooey with melted marshmallows, stuffing (OMG From INSIDE THE BIRD!!!!!), cranberry and nuts salad, can of that scary cranberry gelatinous blob because sister and Dad liked it, pumpkin pie. Don't remember it changing much, maybe some evolution through the years...
 
Sass Muffin

Sass Muffin

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homecook said:
We really don't have any "traditions" for Thanksgiving, except the food is ALWAYS the same!! lol Oh and DH and DS watch A Christmas Story!!!
Click to expand...
I love it when they have the 24 hour marathon:lol:
God I know that movie by heart!!!!!!
Frrrraaaa-gillll--ayyyyy (FRAGILE) LOL!!!
 
homecook

homecook

New member
We're going to try to go to the house this year.....it's supposed to be really neat. :mrgreen: They've turned it into a museum of sorts........

John was an extra in the movie and his buddy did the flowers....
 
Sass Muffin

Sass Muffin

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homecook said:
We're going to try to go to the house this year.....it's supposed to be really neat. :mrgreen: They've turned it into a museum of sorts........

John was an extra in the movie and his buddy did the flowers....
Click to expand...
REALLY???
How cool is that?
Barb, Jeff-- Misty and the kids went to the house and loved it.
Both my boys are big fans of that movie.
Actually, they are the ones who got me hooked on it when they first started showing it on TBS back then, all those years ago.:wub:
I have a leg lamp ornament lol
Last year, when I was coming home from work one evening, I passed a house and saw the leg lamp in the window.
It's a wonder I didn't wreck, I was laughing so hard.
Saw them at Lowe's last year after that, didn't know they were selling them in stores haha
 
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