“Being Thankful and creating memories at Thanksgiving”
Holidays are times to create new memories and relive wonderful memories from our past: the smell of turkey roasting in the oven, the sound of my mother hand-grating the cabbage to make fresh coleslaw, and the hectic pace of trying to get everything on the stove and in the oven before the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade began its annual telecast. You see, my mom loved a parade – especially the Macy’s Parade. Everything about our Thanksgiving celebration was carefully choreographed so that all the food was cooked and cautiously packed into the car so we could leave our home at the end of the parade and travel the short distance to my grandparents’ home in time for lunch.
I remember arriving just as the cousins’ annual touch-football game was starting. The “men folk” would be sitting under the shade of a tree talking politics and predicting the winner of the annual Iron Bowl football game. All the good Christians in the state of Alabama would have bragging rights at Sunday services proclaiming their loyalty to the victor, whether the Alabama Crimson Tide or the Auburn Tigers.
The “women folk” would be in the kitchen “ooohing and aaahing” over all the pretty homemade desserts and adding a little more sugar to the already coma-inducing sweet tea. My older sister, Carolyn, had perfected the southern pecan pie and to this day still makes one for every member of the family. The family competed to see who could prepare the best dishes: turkey and “dressing,” sweet potato casserole, fried okra, pink-eyed-purple hulled peas, deviled eggs, coleslaw, fried chicken, homemade rolls and cornbread…you get the picture! And no one could make them better than Grandma Allred.
I looked forward to this tradition each year and did not miss a single gathering until I moved to New York City in my early 20s. As November was approaching and thoughts of Thanksgiving at my grandparents’ home were filling my head, I was feeling quite homesick when I received a call from a fellow actor. He said, “Hey, You want to ride on a float in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade? You will be paid and you will be on national TV!” My heart leaped to my throat as I said, “yes,” and I could envision my mom’s face when I would tell her she was going to get to see me on TV in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade! And all of my cousins would be gathered around the TV set on Thanksgiving waiting to watch me, too. Well, it was quite humbling when I had to tell them to watch for the costumed character “Carebear” on the very top of the float and that I would wave to them! Hey, it was a paid acting gig! It was an amazing experience to be inside a huge costume and watching hundreds of thousands of people waving at you and smiling while creating memories together on Thanksgiving day.
When designing our Thanksgiving table this year, I wanted to use items that would evoke fond memories for me of Thanksgivings past that I could share with our children and help them create memories that they can share with their children one day. I began by incorporating a collection of ceramic roosters that used to sit on a shelf in my grandmother’s kitchen, then my mom’s kitchen, now taking up residence in our kitchen, and to live one day in our children’s kitchens. I added burgundy flowers and orange roses to remind me of the burgundy cockscomb and roses from my grandmother’s garden. The china and stemware belonged to my wife’s parents and was always used for holiday dinners. To add a little more of the farm nostalgia, I wove vines and leaves into the chandelier and used wired vine as napkin rings.
I am so thankful for all the memories my parents and grandparents created for me. I am grateful they taught me at a very young age the value of family and expressing love to each other. I hope that you will find the time to create some great memories for your loved ones. Take the time and have each person go around the dinner table and thank each person for something they have done for them and how grateful they are for that person. Yes, it may be a bit uncomfortable at first, but trust me, you will remember it for a lifetime and so will everyone at the table.
Happy Thanksgiving… and thanks for the memories!
Carolyn’s Pecan Pie
3 Eggs 1/3 tsp. salt
1 c. white Karo syrup 2 Tbsp. butter
1 c. brown sugar 2 c. pecans
1 tsp. vanilla Unbaked Pie shell
Beat eggs, syrup, sugar and salt together. Add butter, vanilla and pecans. Pour into unbaked pie shell. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.