Saturday, November 20, 2010

The First Thanksgiving

Preparations are well underway for the big Thanksgiving dinner. Well, mentally at least. You can only work so far ahead. The groceries have been bought, mostly. I know what needs to be done when to make the day flow smoothly. This year, it will just be my family at my house, unless anyone wants to come over. Of course, when I say just my family, that still involves 5 kids, a granddaughter, and possibly a special friend or two of my adult kids. I've been cooking Thanksgiving dinners long enough that they no longer freak me out. Not like the first time...

It was 1988. My oldest child was 2 months shy of her second birthday, and my youngest child was two months old. My husband at that time was a soldier and we were stationed in Nurnberg, Germany. Because families were in short supply, we were the unofficial headquarters for all of my husband's single friends. We were expecting about 18 guys for Thanksgiving. In a one bedroom apartment. With a kitchen the size of a large bathroom. With a wife that couldn't cook. I mean I really couldn't cook. The turkey was too big to fit in the oven, so we had to do some magic with a butcher knife and cut it in half. We also had to borrow the neighbor's oven to cook a ham in. While some of the details have faded, I do remember that the meal took close to seven hours to actually cook, and that my mashed potatoes turned out gray. I'm still not sure why that happened, but they were definitely gray. My gravy was lumpy and everything was cold by the time the turkey was finally done, but in the end it didn't really matter. Not because we all had that warm cozy holiday feeling, but because most of the guys had given up and gone to McDonald's, not to mention the alcohol that had been flowing freely. It was not exactly a Martha Stewart holiday.

Even though the day was far from perfect, I do cherish the memory. It was during that time that I grew to love opening my home to friends new and old. I want to have the kind of place that people just feel comfortable in. Those years taught me that my home could be a refuge, a place to kick back and be yourself.

While I no longer get all nervous about cooking a big meal, I do like to have the details in place. Check back Monday and we'll chat about the timetable of Thanksgiving. I'll also list some resources if you need some last minute ideas. In the meantime, I'll be dreaming of love, laughter, and lots and lots of food.What are you all doing? Cooking? Travelling? Eating out? Leave a comment and share what you are up to!~Debbie

2 comments:

  1. When I was in the Army and stationed in Korea, a place where very few soldiers could bring their families along, but the ones who were able to bring their spouses and children opened their homes to those of us who would otherwise spend the holiday alone. It is wonderful that you did that. Thank you.

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  2. Thank you for sharing! I had no idea you lived in Germany! In1988 I was 10 & most likely complaining that I had to spend an entire day with my family! How awful of my parents to hinder my social life! Ha! Boy how times have changed! Now I crave family time & enjoy every time we get together! So this Thanksgiving I will be thanking God for my fsmily faith food & most of all my mothers refusal to let us spend Thanksgiving apart! She refuses to give up cooking for her family so Im grateful for that & the fact that all I have to do is bring the wine! So heres to anotjer year of blessed family time & more wonderful memories! Happy Thanksgiving!

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