Tanksgiving in a small town

Thanksgiving In A Small Town

   When I try to remember Thanksgiving growing up in a small town many things come to mind and of course almost all of them are different than they are today.

   The first thing, and maybe the most important is the family and real friends. I lived in a small town and I had close cousins who lived there also. Probably just as important as cousins and perhaps more so was that in our small town, USA many years ago people developed friendships that were very close and in many cases lasted for a lifetime.

   My hometown was in the mountains over 7000 feet in elevation so by the time Thanksgiving rolled around there was usually snow someplace to sled on, or ice on one of the ponds nearby.

  

   One thing I distinctly remember is that every winter I wanted a Flexible Flyer sleigh. It seemed like every kid on town wanted one but there were not too many of us that got one.

   Of course as we got older we used to slide down the hills around town either on a scoop shovel or the hood of an old car we had “scrounged” up and I think maybe that was more fun than a sleigh.

   While the Mom’s and Dad’s were putting together the big Thanksgiving feast, we, the kids were usually off sledding, skating or as we got older we would go rabbit hunting in the morning making sure we were back in time for the feast.

   The town I grew up in had people from many different countries and my Mom was a very good cook so our Thanksgiving dinner was usually different than the plain old fare.

   The turkey was pretty much the same as any Thanksgiving turkey. The one difference I remember was we put pine nuts in the dressing which gave it a distinct taste different than most dressings today, (which many times just come out of a box from the store.) The other thing that was usually cooked different from year to year was the sweet potatoes or yams.

   The real big difference was the deserts. Because of all the different nationalities and the fact that my Mom was a great cook we always had an abundance of different deserts.

   We had Greek Honey Cookies, Belgium Waffle Cookies, Patisa, Butter Squares, divinity, fudge and several other types of candy. We also had Fruit Cake wrapped in wine cloths and the ever popular Sugar Cookies.

   When the family was finished eating everyone would help clean up and card tables were put up and some headed for a favorite spot on the floor as we got out the game boards and cards to settle in for the rest of the evening. The adults usually played cards and the kids usually game board games. It seems like Monopoly sometimes went on for days?

   When we had all had enough games and eaten enough “goodies” we would call it a day and all head for our various homes.

   Of course we all knew there would be plenty of left over’s the next day—and of course the next day we could start looking forward to Christmas and New Years

I just wondered as I sit here reminiscing how many others out there remember the Holiday’s  or the 1940, 1950 era and if they were as enjoyable to you as they were to me?

         Wally

27 Nov 2013