If my daughters were to invite me to go shopping on Thanksgiving Day, I would ask them to think again.
Nothing purchased can come close to the renewed sense of gratitude for having family and friends. –Courtland Milloy
Ever since my family lived back East in my elementary years, watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving parade has been a tradition. It starts at a respectable 10:00 Eastern and 9:00 Central Standard time, a nice amount of time for those in the household who need extra sleep to carve out time to hug their pillow a little bit longer than the 5:00 or 6:00 wake up that comes on a routine morning.
Thanksgiving is possible … for those who take time to remember; no one can give thanks who has a short memory. ~Author Unknown
Think about it. Thanksgiving can be simple and spontaneous or it can take some planning. Whatever the effort, the menu is not a mystery. You know what you’re carving for dinner…turkey or ham or ribs or vegetable casseroles and perhaps pasta if you’re vegan. Stuffing for turkey, pineapple glaze for ham, baked potatoes with ribs or fresh herbs for the veggie casseroles. To each his own, but it’s not a mystery.
You know what’s for dessert. No matter the venue, we can be blessedly assured there will be pumpkin pie with whipped cream, a favorite cheesecake, a simple banana, pear or apple bread. Yes, the carving knife comes in quite handy and isn’t just for slicing up the main dish. Run hot water over it, wipe it down and it’s ready for the next course.
Ah! on Thanksgiving day….
When the care-wearied man seeks his mother once more,
And the worn matron smiles where the girl smiled before.
What moistens the lips and what brightens the eye?
What calls back the past, like the rich pumpkin pie?
~John Greenleaf Whittier
It’s a time to be thankful, feast together with family, friends and/or neighbors, know you will be eating very well that day and thank God for your abundance or hope for abundance. When so many have so much and so many have so little, we can be thankful together at home or share in a community setting.
The Thanksgiving carving knife must be handled with care. That’s why we call on the most experienced carver to do the deed at our Thanksgiving dinner. Knives can be dangerous and as Americans trade in the traditional Cutco, electric or passed-through-generations German knives for that plastic one that can slice family budgets like a gambler in a casino, one has to consider the price they are paying. Will we be reminiscing with grandchildren and great-grandchildren about this tradition we used to observe on a Thursday called Thanksgiving and now call Black Friday or Thanksgiving weekend? Will they look at Norman Rockwell’s painting of Thanksgiving dinner with the polite interest of school children being exposed to still lifes like Basket of Apples painted by Paul Cezanne, Sunflowers by Vincent Van Gogh, Bodegón by Diego Velázquez?
Don’t get me wrong. I love these still lifes, but the dimensions of Thanksgiving celebrated with family and friends include all the senses. Seeing loved ones and preserving the memory with a photograph. Hearing the laughter and the reverence of a family member leading up the circle of prayer in a blessing. Sticking your finger in the pie or gravy to steal a taste. Let us be still together and along with good food, our menu can include additional sustenance in praise for being together, warm hugs and laughter.
I don’t even want to consider losing Thanksgiving or contributing to its loss.
Let there be carving on Thanksgiving day. Let’s carve out time to rest and enjoy. Let’s carve out time to be together. Let’s carve out time to plan, prepare and preserve. Let’s carve out a memory. Above all else, simply give thanks, like prayer unceasing…no carving needed there.
Thanksgiving Day is a jewel…but be careful that you do not take the day, and leave out the gratitude. ~E.P. Powell
Ed. note: Today’s post is part of a series written by bloggers, like Debbie and Monica, who are saddened at the thought of more and more stores opening on Thanksgiving Day. Frankly, we’re not happy with what it’s doing to our Thanksgiving Day traditions. If you’d like to participate, we encourage you to write a post or include your opinions here. Be sure to visit our Facebook page where you can pledge not to shop on Thanksgiving Day. Thanks!
I’m hoping to carve out time with my Grandkids in the kitchen with me. Sadly, the parents are fighting .. again. Seems it wouldn’t be the holiday without my former DIL making it difficult.
don’t have any crafts or activities planned … just a couple of lil helpers happy to help taste the gravy and mix the potatoes 🙂
Happy Days to you, Georgette.
MJ
Don’t you wish they would read a few blogs to learn a little wisdom? SIL reads mine, but I wish more of the family would.
hmmmm…maybe I’ll be surprised on Thanksgiving Day among 25 family and friends someone tells me they read such and such.
D2 and family come in today and D1 is arriving with boyfriend on Thanksgiving Day!
Happy cooking and baking with the l’il ones!
I hear you but, for that one, an intervention is needed.
Enjoy the girls/little ones being home 🙂 MJ
I understand. I haven’t written about my deepest wishes on the blog. Now that would create some madness…assuming certain members read it. (smile)
Great Thanksgiving blog as usual. We’re enjoying the day with our daughter, son in law and their two children. We’ll start the day at a Thanksgiving parade and end it giving thanks as we enjoy a wonderful turkey dinner with all the extras. The giggles and fun of being with our grandchildren make the day for us! No shopping in this family! Enjoy your day and Happy Thanksgiving!!!
So good to hear from you! So glad you can be with D and SIL and the grands! Pure joy, isn’t it?
Rick brought in a truckload of firewood from the farm and the home fire stays burning keeping D2, SIL and GS2 warm. It’s cold with snow falling just 45 minutes to the north of us! I don’t ever remember snow that close or so early before. It’s going to be a cold winter.
D1 is driving in with GS1 and boyfriend today. We had ham and trimmings last night, will have turkey today. Happy Thanksgiving!
Georgette, this is simply wonderful. I love the quotes, and your thoughts are just perfectly expressed.
(Rest assured that I won’t be doing any shopping on Thanksgiving or the day after!)
Wishing you and yours a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Thank you, Dianna, for reading. I know you understand. As you know I have only been posting once a week, but this week I have been moved differently. I’m going to post a third one Thursday. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone at These Days of Mine.
The thoughts of the shopping madness moving into Thursday is horrible! Meanwhile, this will be the first Thanksgiving I can recall without a big feast. (As you know, we have other issues on our plate at the moment) … so it looks like we’ll have a simply lasagna dinner with my father-in-law. Wishing you and your family a bountiful Thanksgiving, and cheers to your AFA Deluxe Fluffernutters on Friday. 🙂
My thoughts will be with you as you spend time with your father-in-law. Years ago my mother and I ate our Thanksgiving meal in a hotel restaurant near the hospital where my dad had emergency surgery.
GS1 will think I’m a really cool grandma if I serve them up, and even more so if I serve them up for breakfast. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours on your fluffernutters, lasagna and just being together.
Thanks Georgette!
I’ve taken my own approach to the matter of stores opening on Thanksgiving. Rather than posting a blog entry, I’ve marched myself down to local stores that have given notice they’ll be open Thanksgiving afternoon or evening, and told them that I will not be there – and why.
Will it do any good? Probably not. At least, if we can’t reshape society (quite yet) we can shape our lives as we choose. And what a wonderful image you found – carving out time. It’s so important, in so many ways.
Happy Thanksgiving!
As I thought about it further, and this has come out too, in the story. When a store opens that means they have to call in their employees. That’s a mighty ripple affect.
I hadn’t thought about writing this, but when Monica did such a sparkling job on her post, I thought why not? I have a few thoughts on the matter, too.
Happy Thanksgiving to you, Linda.
Wonderful reading today! I, too, am sad about more stores opening on Thanksgiving as well and may try to add my own thoughts if time permits on my own blog. Love your gratitude focus and your great quotes! 😉
Thank you, D. I hadn’t planned to do this, but then as yesterday progressed, it just kind of wrote itself out. Thank you for reading. And I thank Monica for the nudge.
Beautiful. Your post hits all the right notes and certainly tugs at my heart. If I wasn’t already against shopping on Thanksgiving Day, I would be now. Thank you for writing this, Georgette, and for taking part in our campaign to end the madness. No shopping! I hope retailers get the message regarding how many of us they’re making unhappy by doing this. We really need to hold on to our traditions for future generations. How sad if they never know what Thanksgiving was really all about.
Happy Thanksgiving, Monica. I’m glad this resonates with you. I thank you for writing your piece and inviting us to the challenge. In just a few sittings yesterday, this really “wrote itself.”
My thoughts will be with you for safe travel to your destination.
Yes! I too am disheartened and more than saddened that this glorious holiday has turned into another shopping day. Shame on all of those merchants and the folks who dismiss Thanksgiving so nonchalantly. This family will carve the turkey NOT carve out time to shop.
I couldn’t believe it when I first heard about it last year or perhaps the year before. It occurs to me, I’m guilty of not paying attention in that even that info is a blur for me. We can’t let this erode away into a blur. We, too, will be carving turkey and ham tonight as the kids begin to arrive. Happy Thanksgiving to all at your nest. 🙂
Have a truly blessed Thanksgiving, my friend! 🙂
So excited!!! D2, SIL and GS2 are here. Mexican food tonight!
Have a wonderful holiday, mama Cindy.
have a good holiday, georgette.
You too, Theresa. So glad your little sparrow could feast on the seed all to himself this morning.
Nice post,Georgette!!!!Had a chance to know about Thanksgiving day through your post :)Wishing you happy Thanksgiving day !!!1
I’m so glad you could get a feel for what this holiday is like here in the States. Even my nephew in Germany will be celebrating Thanksgiving with a turkey dinner on Thursday. His facebook picture of the turkey in the German oven shows that it barely fits. hahaha Turkeys are really big birds.
What a lovely post!! Monica alerted me to it and it will definitely go up on our Thanksgiving The Real Deal Facebook page!!! thanks so much for such an eloquently written post that touched my heart!!!! Happy Thanksgiving!
I’m so glad it resonated with you, Beth Ann. Thank you for the kindness of your comment and I thank Monica for stopping me in my tracks leading me to write this. How can I find this fb page?
Here is the link to the FB page . We have been just shy of 400 likes for hours and hours and it is frustrating Katybeth!!! Please like –it would make our day!https://www.facebook.com/thanksgivingistherealdeal
Thank you, Beth Ann.
This is truly beautifully expressed & written, Georgette. I love your blogs because I feel like I’m right there amongst those gathered in your memories. Have a beautiful & blessed & Happy Thanksgiving, my friend, to you & yours. XO
It’s such a pleasure to share these thoughts with you…you totally get it, precious friend. Happy Thanksgiving to you and ALL of yours.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family. Thank you for this well written post with lovely quotes. We need to retain our family traditions.
Thank you, Darlene. Happy Thanksgiving to all of you. I know your Thanksgiving was a month ago, but still it’s about passing along from generation to generation.
A different take on the carving tradition of Thanksgiving – well done! Perhaps sharing time with family is the best thing to be served. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!
Happy Thanksgiving to you all as well!
Georgette, I found you through the Facebook Thanksgiving page and wanted to drop by and say, Well done here! I agree 100%, and I’m glad so many people are joining the cause. Whether it helps or not, we know it can’t hurt! Happy Thanksgiving — enjoy that special family time!
Thank you for your sweet comment. We will be among those who remember and plan for Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving to you as well!
[…] What Will You Be Carving on Thanksgiving Day? (georgettesullins.wordpress.com) […]
This is such a lovely piece — I love the quotes. Shopping on Thanksgiving is equally as stupid as doing it on the day after. No way. Never, not me. Not no how!
Thank you, Elyse. Fighting traffic backed up on the cloverleaf feeding into the mall is not my idea of fun! What should take an hour and a half becomes double the time. Who has that kind of time? Happy Thanksgiving, to you and your two J’s.
Loved this post. I love the idea of thinking about what we are carving on Thanksgiving. May we all carve out time to give thanks and praise to the Lord who has given us all we are and all we have. Be blessed today and find a way to bless someone else!
For sure, Shelly. I love this comment which reads like a prayer. Thank you for this. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.
Yes, Thanksgiving is all about the five senses and especially the big “sense” when large families are involved. Sometimes much drama is involved, but I try to steer clear of those conversations etc… Hopefully, all will remember how blessed we truly are. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.
As I look at the realtor’s pictures of our kitchen ready for showing, and I survey the baby bottles, sippy cups on the window sill and the waffle iron, bacon pan and table set for breakfast NOW, I say “Thank you, God.” Family life! Gotta love it. Thanksgiving started yesterday with D2, SIL and G2 arriving last night!
I’d never read the poem by Whittier, which I found at
http://www.poets.org/m/dsp_poem.php?prmMID=19022
I also wasn’t familiar with the Xenil River, which I looked up. Yesterday someone pointed out that in a rare occurrence, Thanksgiving coincides with the first day of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah this year.
Happy new, as my wife likes to say, and Happy Thanksgiving, Georgette.
My husband pointed that out to me yesterday, that Hannukkah begins today. Interesting occurrence, for sure.
Happy Thanksgiving to you in the hill country!
And here’s a funny video about Thanksgivukkah:
too funny…I don’t have the link but I’m sure it won’t be hard to find.
oops…it didn’t show up in the comments…but I see it under the post with your comment.
If you click on the YouTube icon near the bottom right of the embedded video you’ll be taken to the site where it’s posted on YouTube. I hadn’t realized that, but your comment prompted me to click around.
Thanks.
I’m re-living Thanksgiving with you today. 🙂 This is a lovely post, one that should be carved out and posted annually.
Why thank you, Patti. I was honored that it was re-posted on the fb page Thanksgiving: The Real Deal.
Nice! Congratulations.
Thanks, Patti.