Thanksgiving is traditionally a time to gather together with family and friends to give thanks for all of the many blessings. Every family has their own traditions which usually involve a wonderful dinner but then sometimes the perfect dinner is filled with problems.
Being together seems to be the most important part of the Thanksgiving celebration.
“We always gather at Dick and Leota Kreisel’s house for the traditional thanksgiving Turkey meal! Never less than 20 family members and sometimes closer to 30. Several years ago, Leota was in Boone Hospital over the holiday, so we took our group to the hospital and enjoyed our family meal in the cafeteria,” said Brenda Kreisel.
Getting the family together reminds everyone of the importance of family.
“Not a tradition but our family always gathered at our home for a big traditional dinner. In 2015, the year I was very ill from cancer and going through my second round of chemo, all three of the children came and cooked every dish and made sure that we had a Thanksgiving dinner for everyone. Was so very thankful for them,” said Kim Bohl.
“Thanksgiving is not my favorite holiday; Christmas has my heart but we celebrate Thanksgiving with Shane’s side of the family on Thanksgiving Day. My favorite memory of Thanksgiving was from 2018 at their house is when we told my daughter Mady to go out and take a selfie with the turkey and she did! I just laugh every time I see that picture. We celebrate Thanksgiving at my parents’ house early before the actual holiday. The main holiday we like to celebrate during Thanksgiving break is Black Friday! It’s our favorite shopping day of the year! We like to go to Springfield Thanksgiving night to spend the night and get up at 4:00 AM to start our shopping day. I go Black Friday shopping with my mom, aunts and cousin. We have a great time spending the day shopping together,” said Warsaw native Ashley Burke Reimund.
“We really don’t have any family traditions. I was raised to believe every day is a day of thanksgiving and Loren and I continue to practice that with our children,” said Lucy Bell.
“We started the tradition with my nieces and daughter to pull the wishbone. It’s been very entertaining over the years to watch them. Try to pull it and fight over it and get mad over who got the biggest piece. And it still continues to this day and they are teenagers and adults,” said Versailles resident Leslie Nelson Bradley.
“I was working as an EMT at Pettis County Ambulance and I had to work on Thanksgiving Day,“ said Vicky Redwing. “So we had our meal at the station all planned out on what we were fixing and I in advance before shift, made a BEAUTIFUL pumpkin pie, and you know my family takes pride in what we make lol, but this pie was absolutely beautiful with cut out leaves arranged so pretty on this beautiful crust I made from a family pie crust recipe and when I took it to the station for everyone to enjoy, the crew stated how good it looked and when one of them cut into it to eat made an awful face and started spitting it out, I thought they were just trying to tease me about it, saying it tasted awful. They were always teasing me about stuff. But I went and cut myself a slice to make sure it was good and it was AWFUL, I had forgotten to add the sugar to it. I was so embarrassed and was so disappointed because it was so beautiful to look at,” said Redwing.
Every family seems to have their own special traditions.
"Growing up, Thanksgiving was and still is my favorite holiday! Every year we’d go to my grandparents’ house to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade while eating shrimp cocktail, cheese and crackers and other goodies while my grandma fixed our meal. My grandma always set out her red chinaware, and my sister and I would set the table specifically choosing grown up,” said Warsaw North School teacher Ally Richardson.
Of course, there is sometimes the Thanksgiving visit to the ER.
“The year I was in kindergarten, we learned a little dance in class just before Thanksgiving,” said Dusty Mills. “I wanted to show this dance to everyone at the dinner and, of course, I needed a stage on which to perform. I looked around until I found an old wooden footstool, drug it out to the living room, and began my little performance. Unbeknownst to me, it was broken and just as my mom realized what I was doing and told me to get down, I fell off the edge of the footstool as it tipped on the broken edge. The footstool flipped up and as it and I landed into a little pile - it hit my elbow just so, breaking my entire elbow cap and I spent the next several weeks in a cast. I keep Thanksgiving pretty low-key these days; no dancing and definitely no footstool stages.” said Mills.
“Most of our Thanksgivings are fairly humdrum, and that’s not a bad thing, just plenty of family, great food, and lots of fun!” said MU Extension specialist Amie Breshears. “One of the most memorable happened 18 years ago. Benton had to go to children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City hours after he was born and he stayed there for 2 1/2 weeks. Thanksgiving fell during the time that we were up there and we didn’t want to be far away from him on Thanksgiving Day. It was only two hours from there to home, but it was still too far. One of my college roommates and her husband lived in Kansas City; they invited us over to celebrate Thanksgiving with their family. It was so kind of them, and it really was a great day, especially as I look back on it now. I’m so thankful that Benton is healthy and grateful for the good care he got there when he needed it most. Every Thanksgiving that we are all together is extra special now,” said Breshears.
Not everyone loves to cook, but most try to make the perfect meal.
The holidays can be difficult for people as it is a time to remember who won’t be around the table for that special family time.
“Now that I have lost my dad and both grandpas and a grandma, all my special memories are ones spent with them. Our lives go so fast making new memories each year but Thanksgiving always reminds me of my childhood with my family,” said Kenzi Culton Wilson.
“2011 is the Thanksgiving that sticks with me forever. It’s the last one I had with my mom. The traditions she had were my favorite. Turkey, greasy noodles, and her homemade chocolate pie were the best! Then after dinner we set up her Christmas Tree and watched White Christmas. Three weeks later she was diagnosed with brain cancer and our lives were forever changed. Holidays just aren’t the same,” said Kelly Drake.
Of course, every Thanksgiving is a time to reflect and enjoy the company of loved ones.
My own memories include the one when I read about a new way to cook turkey and make it extra juicy. So, I rubbed butter and various herbs all over the big bird and attempted to put it in a brown paper bag. It was late at night and I was tired but as I struggled with the wet bird it slipped out of my hands and slid down the kitchen table and landed on the floor. I was the only one up at 3 am so I picked up the 20-pound turkey, washed it off in the sink, buttered it up again and stuck it in that brown paper bag. I put it in the oven and went to bed. About an hour later the fire alarm went off. The paper bag was on fire. I ran in the kitchen, took the flaming bird out and threw it in the sink. After I extinguished the flame. I put it in another pan and returned it to the oven. Coach never even woke up! The next day all the family raved about the delicious turkey and wanted my recipe. I told them it was a secret.
Wishing everyone a special Thanksgiving time wherever and however the celebration is carried out.
