A Thanksgiving Tradition

I'm blessed to have mostly all my extended family in the same city. It makes seeing everyone during the holidays pretty easy.

My family has always celebrated Thanksgiving at my parents' house. When I was younger, I'd always look forward to waking up to the smell of Thanksgiving turkeys roasting in the oven that Thursday morning.

Every year my maternal grandparents would come over Wednesday, and while my PawPaw would watch TV in the living room (he'd occasionally help peel potatoes), Nana and the girls would help prep the Thanksgiving feast. 

Although we've gotten older and our schedules have gotten busier, we all still try to go over on Wednesdays to drink wine, laugh, and prep food. 

Thanksgiving Day becomes a blur of food and drink, however, I've learned to pace myself a lot better over the years so I'm not absolutely miserable by 6 p.m.

Each girl, and several aunts, have been tasked with bringing one side dish to contribute to the feast. I, of course, bring the mashed potatoes. :P

The extended family starts to arrive at my parents' house around 11:00 a.m.-12:00p.m. and "linner" is served around 1 p.m.

We also put together a "football pot" for the day's main football game. I wish I could explain how we set up the betting, but it's confusing and I never win, so I tend not to care. (haha)

Now that we all have our own homes to go back to at the end of the evening, I savor the memories and smells just a tad bit more. Nothing is better than spending time with family and friends during the holidays. 

What traditions do you and your family partake in?