Thanksgiving Traditions

Thanksgiving traditions in our area include deer hunting and, of course, turkey and dressing.

Deer season started this week. Schools and colleges are on their week long fall break. If school wasn't out this week there would be a lot of empty seats in the classrooms, including teacher's chairs.

I remember when I was a child, Daddy and his friends used to drive into the mountains of West Virginia and go deer hunting. It was a big 'to do'. We were just transferring some of our home videos a few nights ago onto DVDs. This particular one was filmed in 1995 on the day after Thanksgiving at our house. It was our son Andrew's first deer hunting trip. My husband doesn't hunt, so Dad came out and took him hunting across the creek and up on the hill from our house. I think Andrew was maybe 12 or 13 years old and they were all decked out in their orange vests. Andrew kept telling my husband not to record them, but I'm sure glad Charley didn't listen to him.

We used to go to Mom's on Thanksgiving. She made the best dressing you ever put in your mouth! Mom passed away in 1996 and now my sister makes the best dressing you ever put in your mouth. I'm hoping some day that my dressing will be as good as Mom's was. I'll keep trying.

Whenever we went to my mother in laws on Thanksgiving and Christmas, she always made punch. I never made punch and my kids thought it was a real treat. My son Andrew uses her recipe and makes the punch all the time now. He makes it when we have our Church dinners and on holidays here at the house.

This is the recipe in case you would  like  to try it some day:

1 Large punch  bowl
1 quart triple treat sherbet
1 two liter ginger ale
2 quart container of pineapple/orange juice
1 pkg cherry Kool-Aid

Empty the ginger ale, pineapple/orange juice, and spoonfuls of sherbet into the punch bowl a little at a time. Tear open the pkg. of Kool-Aid and sprinkle on top. Stir it up a  little.


We are going to my son and daughter in law's house for Thanksgiving this year. We are having turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, green bean  casserole, rolls, pumpkin pie, pecan pie and Andrew's punch . . . and who knows what else will show up on the table.

What will you be having for dinner this year?

I hope all of you have a very happy Thanksgiving.