A typical traditional Thanksgiving

Over the river and through the woods,

To grandmother’s house we go

The horse knows the way to carry the sleigh

Through white and drifted snow

Over the river and through the woods,

Oh how the wind does blow

It stings the toes and bites the nose

As over the ground we go

Over the river and through the woods,

And through the barnyard gate

We seem to go extremely slow

It is so hard to wait

Over the river and through the woods,

To grandmother’s house we go

The horse knows the way to carry the sleigh

Through white and drifted snow

Hooray for the fun

Is the pudding done?

Hooray for the pumpkin pie

Is the pudding done?

With Thanksgiving in a few days and the crisp autumn leaves turning into snow-slick leaves of winter, family gatherings come to mind. For those of you who know me and read my blog, you know that holiday traditions are the backbone of who I am and what I am made of. For the past few weeks, the media has been all a buzz with turkeymania! Everyone is caught up in holiday madness, scurrying about planning traditional holiday dinners with all the trimmings. Favorite family recipes are prepared with tender loving care, holiday candlestick holders are buffed to a gleaming shine, a fall centerpiece is masterfully created and the table is set with holiday runners, vintage wine glasses and polished china and sterling silverware@

No one can say for certain precisely what food was served at Plymouth Rock on that momentous day in 1620, but what is certain is that a tradition was started that has  endured the test of time.  Family and friends still gather together at a loved one’s home to celebrate good times and good people with a celebratory feast.

My Thanksgiving celebration is an old fashioned traditional dinner with all the trimmings. Although we don’t travel over the river and through the woods to Grandmother’s house, we gather each year at my mother’s and she is grandmother to two wonderful grandchildren who bring us so much joy.

As per tradition, the women in the family all cook or bake a dish which has been branded with her name on it.

Mom typically roasts the bird to a crisp golden brown. She stuffs the turkey with bread crumbs, onions, celery, butter and sage. She also makes a sweet potato casserole and bakes those delicious pumpkin pies

I peel and mash the potatoes as well as bake my Irish soda bread and an appetizer of stuffed mushrooms. My sister brings another appetizer of crab meat dip generously spread on Triscuit crackers as well as the world-renown green bean casserole. Would it be Thanksgiving without it? Her daughter Kendall adds to the feast by baking her yummy pumpkin cookies. My brother and his wife live in Wisconsin and have made trademark sausage and artisan cheeses a tradition in our home.

And while the women folk are bustling about in Grandma’s kitchen in preparation of the celebration, what are the men folk doing? Why, watching football, of course while munching on appetizers. My brother-in-law and his son can’t shove those stuffed mushrooms in fast enough. But when it comes to the final countdown, the men all chip in with all those last minute details to bring the meal full circle, beginning with Grandpa carving the turkey.

After dinner and after the pumpkin pie, we all waddle into the living room for more football. While our meal is digesting, we draw names for our Christmas grab bag gift, something that has made its way as part of the Donovan Thanksgiving family tradition

Whether you travel over the river and through the woods to Grandmother’s house or not, traditions are the hallmark of family and are born to be passed on from generation to generation. Whatever you do or however you celebrate, wishing you and your family a safe and blessed Thanksgiving.