Thanksgiving Extravaganza

Thanksgiving is always a fun time of year.  Fortunately, in my family nothing too crazy happens.  Normally my grandparents host Thanksgiving.  However, this year we had it at our house.  I am not exactly sure why, but it was fine none the less.

Barry's Lost in the Kitchen, while funny was not the  full truth this year.  I had to peel potatoes and carrots for our meal.  I did get out of doing the dishes afterward because I was watching football, but I at least helped a little.  As was to be expected, my mom got a bit stressed out.  The whole house was clean and everything was set right, but once the rest of the family had arrived and the gravy was not quite ready, well you just didn't want to be in her way, as was normal when any company came over.  Grandma always offers to help, but my mom always says she doesn't need any.  It is quite the opposite when Thanksgiving is at my grandparents, my mom always helps finish last minute preparations.  My dad is usually the one who carves the turkey, but it isn't a big deal like it is sometimes made out to be in the media.  This year all the food got done, nothing was burned, and the house didn't catch on fire, so it was a plus in my book (not that any of these things happen normally).

It always takes everyone a minute to get seated, even thought the food is already on the table.  There is no particular place for anyone.  For obvious reasons, I always try to find one of the more comfortable chairs that is close to food.  Once everyone is settled my grandfather says grace.  He does this every year seeming reluctant, but I think he really enjoys doing it.  After the food is passed around and everyone is eating, my uncle and I make fun of my cousin, who being a vegetarian has only potatoes, carrots and green beans on her plate.  He has a very distinct and hearty laugh that is easily recognizable and frequently heard at family events.  I was surprised this year to see that he didn't have his usual Mountain Dew with him.  My aunt has an equal loudness about her.  She has an exciting buzz about her that brings an interesting dynamic to Thanksgiving .  I notice that she is the one who always drinks the most wine.  I have yet to discover if there is a correlation between these two things.

No matter how much everyone eats there is always room for dessert.  My grandma always makes delicious pies and real whipped cream.  I think it was a relief this year that she didn't have to cook the whole meal.  Never the less she brought three different types of pie.  My sister exclaims that she can't eat the apple pie that they have in her school's dining hall because "Its just disappointing compared to grandma's."  After a piece of each kind I am thoroughly full.  The conversation goes on about school and how my sister has been.  This is the longest she's been home in over 6 months.  Everything slowly dies down and we clear the table.  I go off and watch football, while everyone else talks more.

Not too long after that everyone leaves.  My aunt and uncle are the first to leave.  This is true no matter where we have Thanksgiving.  I was always upset when we were the last ones to leave my grandparents.  We helped clean up and do the dishes even though everyone had already gone.  Nobody stayed to help us this year, but I don't mind because I got out of doing the dishes too like I already mentioned.  I was conveniently watching football and wasn't asked to help.

I am thankful for the family that I have.  We all have our quirks, but none of us are like the crazy people you hear about in stories.  It is about the same every year, but I don't mind.  It's always good to reconnect with family.  We get to do it all over again in a month.