11/22/07 Thanksgving Memories

Happy Thanksgiving and despite the fact that retailers virtually ignore it in lieu of lucrative Christmas dollars, for me Thanksgiving will remain special. The holiday evokes memories of many meals at my grandparent's table. I know Martha Stewart would have snubbed her nose at their décor and the fixings, but to us, it was simply beautiful. The menu never varied from traditional Turkey, stuffing and gravy. We ate on what we would now call a "distressed" oak table with legs the size of small trees and straddling these legs like I invariably had to each year over a long meal became an athletic endeavor. Each Thanksgiving, the turkey was the largest in memory, and as kids we inheritably knew this abundant meal was somehow very connected to the farmers who lived on the outskirts of town. So today I sit with my lap full of cooking and decorating magazines, each telling me how to create the "perfect" Thanksgiving and my stress level begins to rise, so&. I take a deep breath, and a moment to reflect on Thanksgiving at my grandparents table, toss the magazines, count my blessing and get ready to wrap my boys in a big old hug when they walk through the door.