Happy Turkey Day!

A Typical Thanksgiving Dinner... just like mom used to make

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, one of those truly all American holidays which most everyone in this country seems to celebrate, regardless of their religious persuasion or ethnicity.

What's not to like with a nice, quiet day devoted to counting blessings, eating a lot and visiting with friends and family?

Thanksgiving dinner is a really great feast in the old-fashioned sense, usually with turkey being the main dish, but often including ham and seafood and everything else you can think of.  Pretty basic components of this meal include cranberry sauce, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy.

What else you may include, whether it be veggies, casseroles, salads, fruits, you-name-it - depending on your own family history and preferences -  is pretty much up to you.

I have some great memories of Thanksgiving feasts growing up.  I've even cooked a couple of feasts myself through the years.  It's labor intensive and exhausting for the home cook - but certainly appreciated by everyone who enjoys it.

Thanksgiving dinner is usually followed by pumpkin and mince meat pies for dessert.  (However, I'm finding it harder and harder to find mince pies, for some reason.  Perhaps it's the area I live in, as it is predominantly Hispanic. Any thoughts on that?)  And football.  It's not Thanksgiving without football.

Well, that's generally speaking.  Not at my house. My house is a football free zone.  That's because I control the TV remote at my house.  Hallelujah.

But I've heard other folks are really into the Thanksgiving plus football scenario.  So, in fairness, I just felt compelled to mention it.

We've come a long way since the first pilgrims had a big feast with the native American Indians so many years ago.

Painting by Jean-Leon Gerome Ferris, 1932 / Library of Congress

The original Thanksgiving was a feast to say thanks for a plentiful harvest and new friends in a new world.  I like the idea of having a day to be thankful.

God has certainly given us everything!  That's a lot of stuff to be thankful for.  I could start listing things, but there just isn't room enough in this blog space to put it all.  The biggies:  friends and family (and that includes my Jack cat).  Those are my biggest blessings.  But I'm also blessed to have a roof over my head, enough food to eat, a car that runs, and a job to go to every weekday.

My sister-in-law just posted this to Facebook and I think it bears re-posting:

Have a wonderful day and fun feasting, wherever you may be.  Remember to take a moment to thank God for all the blessings you have in your life.

Just a heads up that there will be no blog post tomorrow.  And maybe Friday, too.  It's a National Holiday on Thursday, and I intend to spend it eating myself into a turkey-induced coma... just kidding.  I think.  Maybe.