The Open-Door Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving, in our extended family, is my holiday. My mother-in-law does Christmas. My sister-in-law does Easter. But I do Thanksgiving. I have recipes that date back to my great-grandmother. Everything is from scratch. The table is set. The décor is fall. I would shoot for House Beautiful magazine layout perfection every year. I’d fail miserably, but I’d shoot for it!

2940217579_9197084885

Yeah, my table never looks like that, except in my head. LOL

Before the Big Day, it’s a two- to three-day cooking and baking frenzy. The first day is prep and storage. Everything is cut up and put into Tupperware bowls for easy access on T-Day. The second day is baking. I bake six to eight pies. And a jello/cream cheese mold my grandmother used to make (sometimes, because actually, I’ve never liked it LOL). T-Day starts at 4:30am with the turkey and followed by continuous shifts in my oven for the various dishes until 1pm, when we all sat down in our holiday best.

Mother's Day 2009 017

I also have a small house, with a husband, three kids, and four dogs. My mother-in-law comes to us. My three younger brothers join us. My uncle joins us. I worry about seating every year. I have to have a head count.

Then, a few years ago, I got a monkey wrench thrown at me – a family friend didn’t have a place to go for Thanksgiving. I hesitated, I’ll be honest. Where would I put them? What about my nuclear-family traditions? But, kindness won out and I invited them. Most everyone would, I know, however I did have to scramble a bit.

We had a lot of fun! We shared new stories and incorporated a new menu item brought by our guest. We played musical chairs, because, yes, I was short one seat. But we giggled and laughed and had fun, even though we were crammed at the table like sardines. I accidentally ate off the wrong plate.

Thanksgiving 2008 006

The next year, I invited them back. And, that was the year I loosened up and invented The Open Door Thanksgiving.

I put the word out that my table, small as it is, was open to anyone who didn’t have their own family table to put their feet under. I got two takers that year.

Thanksgiving 2011 (5)

Everyone pitched in. My one friend came over the night before to learn how to make pie crusts. My daughter took over making the stuffing. I learned that they are just recipes. So what if the stuffing was thicker on one side than the other? My son volunteered to make the sweet potatoes, so he could “ensure” there would be enough. Smile 

Thanksgiving 2006 (6)

Thanksgiving 2006 (7)

Thanksgiving 2006 (1)

My brothers and my sons are closer in age than I am with my brothers. I decided we would start the dinner together and finish together, but if we were at different tables for the meal, the world wouldn’t end.

Thanksgiving 2011 (6)

So, the younger set took over the family room. I put up a card table with a Christmas tablecloth, because that’s all I had left. At the kitchen table, the older set enjoyed their dinner and got to know the newcomers. Some crazy stories were told that day! And jokes about the resurgence of the “kids’ table” for adults ran rampant. LOL

But, I noticed everyone really talked and shared and got to know each other. After dinner, we all regrouped and had pie on the deck and, later, pulled chairs to the family room to watch football. That Thanksgiving ended more with relaxation than exhaustion. By taking the formality out, we let genuineness in.

Thanksgiving 2008 007

We had fun together. And we’ve all gained new “family” that now my mother-in-law invites to her Christmas dinner.

Christmas 2009 033

And no one is left alone on a holiday.

This year, I will have my family, my mother-in-law, my brothers, plus my mother-in-law is bringing two gentlemen who have no family. My son knows that his coworker, who isn’t married, is more than welcome if he doesn’t have a relation to go to. I’m not exactly sure how many I’ll have yet. I’ll make plenty of food. And I’ll find chairs somewhere. And, I’ve extended the Open Door policy to the entire weekend! I’ll keep pies and coffee on hand, so any friend that stops by can have a little Thanksgiving with us.

I’m not going to shop. I’m going to be thankful.

It will be messy. It will be noisy. It will be crowded.

But it will be fun.

Thanksgiving 2011 (3)

So, consider having an Open Door Thanksgiving. Watch at your church for someone who’s alone. Listen to a coworker. Ask your elderly family members if they have a friend who doesn’t have family nearby.

It probably won’t be Better Homes and Gardens magazine perfect.

But it will be perfect in the ways that count.

Rhiannon's Thanksgiving Decor 11-24-05

(I would love for you to come back to visit, so please SUBSCRIBE using one of the buttons I have up there at the top on the right. And be sure to find me on Facebook for behind the scenes stuff and general goofiness. I’m on Twitter, too, but be warned – I have been known to accidentally tweet-bomb during baseball seasonl!)

Photobucket

**Sharing With These Awesome Parties**

MONDAY:

  Skip To My Lou Keeping It Simple Ninth Street Notions Sumo's Sweet Stuff DIY Show Off Photobucket Whimsically Homemade Sew Chatty The Girl Creative

TUESDAY:

A Diamond in the Stuff RomanceOnADime.com Our Delightful Home My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia homework Photobucket Tuesday To Do Party Today's Creative Blog House on the Way The DIY Dreamer

WEDNESDAY:

Organize and Decorate Everything Ivy and Elephants

THURSDAY:

Catch a Glimpse Button Somewhat Simple HookingupwithHoH Share Your Creations Photobucket shabby creek cottage A Delightsome Life Becoming Martha Made in a Day The 36th AVENUE Photobucket Beyond The Picket Fence Confessions of an ADD Housewife saving4six One More Time Events

FRIDAY:

I'm Lovin' It at TidyMom Fridays Unfolded vif187 Photobucket Simply Sweet Home Friday Favorite Whipperberry Furniture Feature Fridays Chic on a Shoestring Decorating Tickled Pink at 504 Main Happy Go Lucky TCHQ Blog Hop Create & Inspire Linky Party http://www.nelliebellie.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/stinkylinkybutton.png five days five ways | feature friday free for all Photobucket

WEEKENDS:

I Heart Nap Time Weekend Bloggy Reading Love and Laundry It's Overflowing Homespun Happenings Funky Junk's Saturday Nite Special Debbiedoo's badge UndertheTableandDreaming Three Mango Seeds SixSistersStuff.com

SPECIAL PARTIES:

DIY Club

(Shona Skye Creative by Kristy M Creighton is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. If you are reading this on a site other than Shona Skye Creative or my SSC-related social media accounts, and it is not a guest post, then the content has been stolen. Please report it at http://www.shonaskye.com/ Thank you!)

5 thoughts on “The Open-Door Thanksgiving

  1. Daphne Bryson says:

    Good Afternoon Kristy, It does not matter if your table looks like the one you showed us from House Beautiful. Yes it looks lovely, but, it would not change the fact that you will have so much fun with your family. Thanksgiving is about spending the day with family, and enjoying being together. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day. Best Wishes Daphne

  2. Roisin says:

    What a wonderful thing to do. Kudos to you! My husband and I took in "strays" for Thanksgiving too (when I was married) and it was a blessing to us and our guests. My daughter continues that tradition now, and I'm proud that she takes in the "orphans" among her friends and her husband's co-workers. It makes the holidays so much more wonderful when you celebrate with family, friends, and those who have no family or friends to celebrate with. It makes Thanksgiving a time to truly be thankful.

Comments are closed.