Your Handmade Home Magazine November 2017

Starting the day by watching the Macy’s parade on TV, we literally go over
the river and through the woods to my grandmother’s house for the holidays.
Our family gatherings are a modest affair, but I rather prefer it that
way. Though my grandmother is the mastermind behind the dinner, having
cooked almost the entirety of the meal herself, everyone pitches in.
It’s not exactly a scene out of a Norman Rockwell painting, with a whole
turkey placed beautifully in the center of a long table as everyone gathers
around, but it’s an amazing down-home dinner. We have the expected turkey,
sliced and separated into light and dark meats to make it easier to find
the best piece. There are green beans with bacon, deviled eggs, homemade
potato salad, baked beans (again, with bacon – this is southern cookin’,
y’all!), sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes and gravy, dumplings,
macaroni and cheese, yeast rolls, peanut butter bananas (don’t knock it ‘til
you’ve tried it!), stuffed celery, and two types of cranberry salad.
Carbed out yet? Though delicious, I never said this was healthy eating.
Everything cooking and mixing in the kitchen smells heavenly, and it just
smells like Thanksgiving. Family begins to trickle in throughout the morning
in anticipation of dinner, laughter begins to fill the house, and love can
be felt through every room. The football game is blaring on the TV, and the
sports fans are yelling at the calls. It’s that time of year when we can all finally
slow down and catch up with the rest of the family in person, trading
stories of things that have happened in our lives. It’s a time to cherish and
celebrate what is most important in life.
As dinner approaches, we remember those who are no longer with us. My
uncle and my father are two such people that are sorely missed every day of
the year, but whose absences are most notable at these family gatherings.
Yet, even as we remember those who are gone, we give thanks for that
which we still have: a roof over our heads, food in our stomachs, and family
to love.
Allison Yeager is a photographer, writer, educator, and historian. She holds an MA in History,
teaches English to students of all ages and nationalities, and has been a professional photographer
since 2009. Her photography can be found at www.allisonsimages.com, and her newest
venture – travel writing and photography – can be found at www.bitofadventure.com. Follow
her @bitofadventure and @allisonsimages on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!