Thanksgiving Dinner.

The beautiful memories of Mom making Thanksgiving dinner will stay with me forever.  A few days before, Mom would have the house smelling so good from baking pumpkin pies, cherry pies, and apple pies.  I would sit on the stool and watch her carefully place the pies in the oven so as not to spill any of the pumpkin mixture out.  When they were done she would place them on the pie shelf to cool.

The night before the dinner she would get the bread she had crumbled and dried out and start making her stuffing.  She would mix all of the ingredients together and stuff the turkey.  She would wrap him up and place him in the oven.  Of course, it had to be midnight so the turkey could cook all night.  The next morning when you woke up the smell of the turkey would be kissing your nose.

I really believe she loved making the dinner as I do today.   When the rolls were done she would say "dinner"!!!!  We would all crowd into the small kitchen and sit around the table.  The little ones had their own table to sit at.  Mom would get their plates, with help from my sister and I and, then we would go sit at the "big" table.  My Grandmom would say a prayer then we would start passing the dishes.  My Stepdad would carve the turkey and put a slice on all the plates.

While at dinner my Granddad would pick on me and grab a leg.  He knew I loved the legs but he had to have one too.  My Uncles would tell jokes, my Aunts would frown, and the room would roar with laughter.  Mom would join in with jokes she'd heard at the doctor's office.

Then came dessert and the cleanup.  Mom and the Aunts would serve the pie with homemade whipped cream.  After eating the men would excuse themselves and go to the living room.  The Aunts would start the cleanup and the little girls would help clean.  They would gossip and then go to church the next morning.  When I think about that now I laugh.  When everything was spotless the women would go to the living room and the kids to their bedrooms or, if it was nice, outside.  It was usually rainy and cold so we would go to our bedrooms to play.

Oh well, those were the golden years to me.  They were happy and loving years.  I remember the love.  The hugs that meant something.  Respect was evident every corner you went around.  Yes Sir, No Sir, No Ma'am, Yes Ma'am, please and thank you were said: "or else."  All I can say about holidays today is people on their phones the entire season, ignoring their elders, no respect, fake love, and no morals.  We need to bring back family values.  Just like the ones we had when I was little.