Over the River and Through the Woods
My Grandmere and Grandpere lived about six hours north of my family in New Jersey. It was always a long trip. My mom did all the driving and most of it was after nightfall. I am not sure if she started having us sing along with her near the end of the trip to keep her awake or to keep my two younger sisters from fussing in the backseat. We sang everything from Broadway show tunes to church songs. Once we got ready to cross from Pennsylvania into New Jersey via a bridge over the Delaware River, the song we always sang was Over the River and Through the Woods.
Have the Kids Decorate the Table So They Will Stay Out of the Kitchen
My mom and both of her sisters were teachers. Each year they would come up with something for my cousins Anne and Jeanne, my sisters, and I to create for the Thanksgiving table. I remember one year we made name tags with turkeys on them. Placemats were another year’s craft. None of us were very crafty so I am not sure the table looked beautifully adorned with our construction paper creations. They did however keep us out the kitchen so that the Thanksgiving feast could be prepared without five little girls “helping”.
Every year we were also tasked with creating slips of paper with Thanksgiving related words on them that each family member was supposed to act out in a round of charades after dinner. We had the best time deciding who would get the slip of paper that said turkey under their plate each year. The funny part about the slip creating activity is that I think we took longer create the slips and hide them under plates than we actually played charades each year. Usually, my aunts and uncles would act out what was on their slips. By the time it was my four male cousins’ turn they would protest this game was beneath them and ask if they had permission to go outside and play.
The Feast
The feast the ladies in my family prepared was wonderful. There was the turkey with gravy, assorted casseroles, candied sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and Pillsbury crescent rolls. There were mounds of each of these foods piled high on platters and in bowls. The smell coming from the kitchen during the morning would get make your stomach start to growl, but it was nothing compared to the visual display of food placed down the center of the table. Everything always looked wonderful. I am not sure why the mashed potatoes and everything else they made always tasted better after it had been prepared in my Grandmere’s kitchen.
I don’t remember if we had dessert right after dinner or after running outside for awhile. I do remember that the feast was capped off with Grandmere’s apple pie and pumpkins pies. There also assorted cakes put out to enjoy too. It was Grandmere’s apple pie that always a hit. The crust just seemed to melt in your mouth.
Run and Play
My grandparents lived on a small farm with huge lawn to play on and a pond to canoe on. After our feast, there always something going on outside. There was a collection of bats, balls, and other outdoor toys kept the barn to keep us entertained for hours.
That is how I remember Thanksgiving growing up. What memories stand out to you?
What wonderful memories!
Are you my sister? were we parted at birth? this sounds exactly like the Thanksgiving I had when I was a little girl.. I don’t have anything to add, other than my grandma would play the piano and we would sing with her. Oh the memories ~! so sweet.. Have a great Thanksgiving~! ta ta for now from iowa.. 32 degrees freezing rain and all is well in our home..
Sounds cool. I always remember my cousins coming over and always having to sit at the kids table – it wasn’t until I was married that I finally get to sit at the “adult” table!
Hope you have a happy Thanksgiving. 🙂
That’s such a wonderful history of Thanksgiving get togethers. We didn’t have more than just our family growing up so it was pretty simple. Nothing really stands out to me. Now we always make sure we visit with family and I take my girls shopping on B.F. I want my kids to have great memories growing up! Happy Thanksgiving!
~Mimi
A beautiful post! We had the crescent rolls too. I love those things! I remember the outdoor family football games we’d start up after dinner; they were always such fun, even if I was usually just the cheerleader and not the star quarterback.
Have a wonderful holiday!
I’ve been blogging about my Thanksgiving memories this week because I miss them. We always drove to my great aunt’s house. It was HOT and cramped, but we always had a great time. If it was warm enough we’d all walk to the zoo down the street after dinner to stay out of trouble.
Wow, those are some amazing Thanksgivings you had! Thanks for sharing such wonderful memories! I hope that you have a great Thanksgiving full of great memories this year too 🙂
May I ask where grandmere and grandpere originated? I’ve never heard those terms before.
Happy Thanksgiving!
I remember my grandmother’s red cheeks from the heat in the kitchen! She made the best stuffing on earth! I miss her every day.
i always loved making little construction paper name tags and other decorations … it was a special part of my thanksgiving ….
Great memories. I think I just figured out why I have to make crescent rolls for Thanksgiving. Everything else is made from scratch, but it just would not be thanksgiving without them! I have tried to recapture Grandmere’s apple pie, but nothing compares.
What sweet Thanksgiving memories. I’ll bet that your family is making memories that will be just as powerful.
We didn’t celebrate a Thanksgiving in Europe in my youth, but we sure took a lot of road trips with singing in the car! Trust this too was a memorable Thanksgiving for you and yours.
Your Thanksgiving memories are wonderful! I remember how much we looked forward to a dinner full of all our favorite foods and the love and laughter at the table as we each took turns saying what we were thankful for.
I hope you had a wonderful day!
What a beautiful post with such sweet memories! I hope my grandchildren have those kind of memories of coming here for Holidays! You’ve inspired me to “kick it up a notch” for the grandkids…
Thank you for sharing such a sweet memory filled story here. I had a wonderful childhood and often reminisce about them. Thanks for being so sweet and sharing with us today. Anne
Happy Belated Thanksgiving.
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what a sweet post!
I just remember going to my aunts and that is when I got to see my Uncle from New York! 🙂
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I love this post. How wonderful to take this walk down memory lane with you and your family.
I hope you printed out a copy of this for everyone.
What warm and lovely memories.
Thank you for linking.
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What a beautiful post to link up to Time Travel Tuesday … Thanksgiving is new to us since we did not grow up in America but with my husbands love for cooking is already his favorite holiday.
The memory you described is lovely – I see where you get your creativity for raising your own from.
You have an incredible blog over here, a true gift for everyone who visits – thank you!
That sounds like a great way to spend Thanksgiving. It’s my favorite holiday of the year too. I’m already planning dinner this year!
Stopping by from Time Travel Tuesday.
Sounds perfect <3
I grew up in Finland so my first Thanksgiving was in the States as a young adult. It has become a treasured holiday!