Thanksgiving, The Chadd Family Way!

I finally realized, at age 21 or so (when my family expanded), that not every family celebrates Thanksgiving with the same foods or traditions! This year we had a Chadd family Thanksgiving in Ulysses at my parent's house.

Mouth watering, Travis sat down at the table for his first Thanksgiving meal with my family about six years or so ago. I will never forget that day, and neither will my mom or Travis. All the delicious things my mom had made were passed around the table, and Travis politely took some of everything. Mom had prepared the "traditional" Thanksgiving dishes, or so she and the rest of us thought, because those are the only dishes we'd ever eaten for Thanksgiving.

Travis finally said in a concerned voice, "Marsha, I think this apple salad might be fermented or something." Mom, making sure she had prepared it right, took a bite of the apple salad to ensure all was well before the rest of us ate some. We all watched as she ate some and said, "Well, it tastes okay to me." She then started laughing, realizing Travis was tasting the vinegar-based dressing on the salad. Travis was embarrassed, but the rest of us just laughed and laughed.

Even stranger was the fact that Travis had never eaten egg noodles for Thanksgiving!? Mom offered him another helping, and when he declined she asked, "You don't like noodles?" Travis explained later that he liked noodles, but was accustomed to mashed potatoes and gravy, instead.

Travis and Mom still joke about that first Thanksgiving together, but she now makes noodles AND mashed potatoes and gravy. Travis eats the apple salad now without blinking an eye.

Chadd family Thanksgiving includes hunting and the Thanksgiving meal, of course. Here's what WE had for Thanksgiving this year:

Turkey

Noodles

Mashed Potatoes and Gravy

Broccoli/Bacon/Cheese Salad

Rolls

Crock Pot Creamed Corn

Sweet Potato Casserole

Cranberry Fluff Salad

Pumpkin Pie

Banana Dream Pie

Sex in a Pan

Mom worked hard planning and coordinating the meal. She, Laci and I followed and prepared the family recipes, Jeff cut the Turkey, Travis and Dad helped with clean-up, and the kids ate to their little hearts' content.

The twelve of us don't all fit around the dining table, so the five oldest grandkids sat at a fold-out camp table in the living room (with a plastic tablecloth underneath them, of course!). My sister, cousins and I all ate at the same sort of camp table at Thanksgivings at my grandparent's house growing up.

We thanked God for all He has blessed us with and enjoyed the fellowship of family. And, no, Travis and I didn't announce another pregnancy at this year's meal! ;)