My early memories of Thanksgiving are with Mother, Rosella and me being invited to her good friends, Alberta and Hunter Phillips, in Vallejo. They had a big, old house with a dining room with a trap door just above the table and big cats that wandered in and out from the patio. I do remember one year Mother made a dinner for us at home. I seem to remember her older children being invited but I don't remember them being there. When she died we lived with her oldest son and his family, our brother. Tables were set up in the rumpus room and close to 30 people were there, always including the missionaries. After my marriage we took turns going to dinner at his family and mine until Don and Bev moved to Bainbridge Island in 1992. We've also celebrated at my sister's home in Fremont at least once. For a few years we made our own Thanksgiving dinner at home. It was important to me to have it be exactly like I remember at Don and Bev's: Turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, fruit salad with mayo and cherry juice dressing, corn, peas, and yeast rolls. It was a simple menu and absolutely delicious. The pies were endless varieties with a giant bowl of whipped cream after dishes were washed and we were ready for dessert. Bev even had a cake when Adam's birthday fell on Thanksgiving even though I told her we could celebrate with a pie. After Michael's passing I've celebrated with Chad and Becca's family in Monterey when Eve stayed with me and Duane and Judy's family in Fairfield, grateful to be invited and included. I've added Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade to my morning the last few years once I was told what fine entertainment they have in it. I love a family walk, the aroma of the foods. It's especially nice when family members are kind to one another and make it a special day of thanksgiving. I'm missing my family members who have passed on.
I've watched these TV-taped shows so much that the video is wearing out on some. These are all absolutely adorable movies. I've read A Christmas Memory and enjoyed it. A Child's Christmas in Wales is more enjoyable to watch and better understood. It's impossible to get through them without crying. Naturally I watch a version of Scrooge each and every season and have a collection of them on videos. I'm very fond of It's a Wonderful Life too. Remakes of it have failed miserably.
