Thanksgiving

  This time of year is a battle it seems. The day after Halloween the commercials start for Christmas. I always feel that we don't give Thanksgiving it's due credit.  Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas and I get just as excited as my kids at times but Thanksgiving is the "gateway" to the holiday season and should be appreciated as such.
  When I was younger I associated Thanksgiving with my nana's house.  We moved away from my grandparents and my aunt and uncle and cousin when I was around nine years old so any chance we got to visit, we took it.  My nana and grandpa lived in a small South Texas town who's claim to fame was hunting so my dad would get ready for Thanksgiving (hunting) with gusto! The men of the family knew there would be a hunting day wasted when they would agree to take us along, you know everything is funny when you aren't supposed to laugh. They never complained though so we always had fun.
  When you would wake up on Thanksgiving morning at Nana's you woke up to the smell of turkey.  I loved that feeling, waking up to the beautiful chaos of a small kitchen with too many people in it trying to orchestrate one huge meal.  No one complained, no one said they wished they had more space, I think the closeness was one of the things we looked forward to.
  Fast forward several years and here I am, Nana is no longer here but we will be having Thanksgiving with family and the kids will get under foot and will run through the kitchen taking pieces of cut up turkey or a roll when they pass and it will be good. It will be hot and crowded in the kitchen but I don't care, that's part of it.  I love the holiday season because of how it was for me as a kid and how I consciously want it to be for mine.  How will your Thanksgiving go? Who will be there and what is the side dish you most look forward to eating?  What is your favorite thing to do after Thanksgiving?
  From my house to yours, Happy Thanksgiving!