Different But The Same

Is your Thanksgiving like mine?  Filled with traditions that have been followed more years than I have been alive.  Every year Gram cooks the turkey, stuffing and makes the soup for Thanksgiving dinner at her Shore house.  All of her children and grandchildren fill out the meal with sides and dessert.  For at least the last four years I have made the same dishes: pimento cheese as an appetizer,  sweet potato casserole for a side and pumpkin pie for the dessert table.

Some might find it boring that we don't really mess around with the menu or venue, but that is the way my Pop liked it. And if it was good enough for Pop it was more than good enough for the rest of us since he was so loved and adored by my family. So even though Pop said his last Thanksgiving grace in 2009 we keep the traditions going as a way to remember him.

Due to Sandy we had to break with some of the traditions this year.  Gram and Pop's house was damaged during the storm and still is without power.  So my Uncle C gather as many Thanksgiving supplies as he could from Gram's home and brought them to my Aunt E's house.  The show must go on!

So just like every year I tried to take a family photo worthy of our Christmas card.  And per usual my kiddos did not work with me!

My Aunt's wedding china and silver looked beautiful laid out on Gram's Thanksgiving table cloths.  In fact this year there was more room so the "head table" and "weenie table" could even chat!

Being the competitive group that we are we still played "Hang By Your Nose".  Not sure at all how to explain this game in a blog post. Simply put it is a game that my Pop came up with using an old vacuum head and green tarp.  Sounds weird but trust me it is a good time!

So even though things did not go according to plan we had a great time.  I was surrounded by my family and felt my Pop's presence.  He would have been so proud that we did not have tears for things lost by the storm but rather we rejoiced in the fact that we were still all together on Thanksgiving!