Evolving Traditions

Thanksgiving is possibly the most traditional Holiday. While Christmas traditions vary from family to family; much of Thanksgiving remains the same regardless of your background. There are certain staples that you can find on almost any Thanksgiving table: turkey, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie. But the beauty of it is that even though it remains so traditional, you can always put your own spin on it.

I usually get a Butterball turkey. Why? Because my mother always had a Butterball. She always felt it was worth a little extra money to get a nice moist turkey. Mom and I had a lot of time to talk this week about Thanksgivings when she was a child. She said there were a couple of people in town who used to raise turkeys, so Grandma always got one from them. Then one year she saw an advertisement for Butterball turkeys following a TV Show (and now I can't remember what show she said it was). It was in either the late 50's or early 1960's. Grandma was intrigued, and determined she had to have a Butterball. Mom said they drove all over trying to find one. She thinks they probably found it in Troy, which is about half an hour away from Berlin- where they lived. Grandma thought the pop-up timer was the best part. And after that, she had a Butterball each year.

I asked Mom to make Grandma's Holiday Salad this year. When I asked her, she said it was so funny, because she had just been thinking of the salad. The salad is red seedless grapes, pineapple chunks, walnuts, and mini marshmallows in a custard/cool whip mixture. The recipe I have only lists measurements for the eggs, sugar, milk, and heavy cream. (It says heavy cream, but Mom uses Cool Whip. Mom said once Cool Whip came out, Grandma used it instead of the heavy cream.) There are no measurements for the grapes, walnuts, pineapple, or marshmallows. I told Mom 'that's how you gave me the recipe' and she said 'yes, that's how my mother gave it to me'. Grandma only made this salad three times a year: for Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Thus the name. Pineapple doesn't grow in NY, so it was a special thing. Mom said she remembers having to pick the seeds out of the grapes, because you couldn't find seedless grapes. Grandma used to serve the Holiday Salad with dessert, but we served it with the regular meal.

We've always had sweet potatoes for Thanksgiving. Growing up, the sweet potatoes were cut into halves or quarters, boiled, and put in a bowl. That is how we grew up eating sweet potatoes for Thanksgiving. When my sister got married and started hosting Thanksgiving, she started making the sweet potatoes as more of a casserole. She cooks the sweet potatoes, mashes them, and then fixes them with maple syrup and brown sugar, then she puts it in the oven and bakes it. It is delicious and has quickly become our new tradition in the family. Likewise, I've changed the white potatoes. Instead of having regular mashed potatoes, I make cheddar mashed potatoes, which Erich and I prefer.

Mom said Grandma never allowed the television to be on during Thanksgiving dinner. She said the only exception was the year JFK was shot- Grandma told them they could keep the TV on to watch the coverage. Dad said they went to his Grandmother Teal's house for Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving and Christmas were the only times you could eat in her second dining room. The rest of the year you weren't allowed in the room. I let Dad keep the TV on during dinner this year, because the Packers were playing. Shortly after the game started, the cable went out. Mom said 'That was Grandma telling us to turn off the TV'. Thankfully, it was only out temporarily, and by the time we finished eating, the cable was back on.

Perhaps no place do the past and present collide more than in my table settings. We used Aunt Arlene's china for our plates. Aunt Arlene, my Mom's sister, does not cook. She always uses paper plates. She refers to it as her china. The first time we had Erich's family over and I said we were using Aunt Arlene's china, they were quite surprised when we passed out paper plates. So we had to explain the joke. This year, her china had a pretty orange maple leaf on it. I used a couple of pieces of my own china for serving. When I got married, Dad said every girl needed her own china, and bought me a complete set. And thankfully, he bought china that is dishwasher safe! Then I used my pretty new pumpkin and cabbage bowls for serving dishes. And in a nod to Thanksgivings past, I used my Currier & Ives glasses (some of them are pictured here). My mother always had this set, and we only used them on special occasions. Each glass has a different scene on it. It was always a big deal to choose which scene you wanted. The glasses are milk glass. I asked Mom how old they were, and she said she wasn't sure. There's no date on the glasses. She knows someone gave them to her grandmother, my great-grandmother. After Great-Grandma Hattie passed, they went to my Grandmother. When Grandma moved to Florida, they were left with my Mom. The best we can figure, the glasses are 75-100 years old.

The Currier & Ives glasses are my favorite Thanksgiving tradition. I always loved them growing up. Through the generations, the pitcher and complete set of eight glasses have held up. When my sister and I each moved into our own houses, my sister was given Great-Grandma Hattie's crystal goblets which had a grape pattern on them. My sister did her kitchen in a grape theme. I was then given the Currier & Ives glasses. I treasure them. Since I do not have children, at some point, they will be passed down to Sydney.

As we enjoyed our Thanksgiving dinner, I was surrounded by the love and traditions we have passed down for generations. Sure, outsiders may have thought it was a little funny to use paper plates and antique glasses, but for us it's all part of our story.