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November means the arrival of my favorite holiday, Thanksgiving. I love Thanksgiving because who doesn’t love turkey and stuffing? And there are no presents involved!
Our Family Thanksgiving Tradition
When I was a kid and young adult, we always got together with all my cousins, my aunts and uncles and my grandmother. We started out at my grandmother’s house when I was really young, but after one of my aunt’s family grew to include 8 children, we moved our celebration to her much bigger house. It was so much fun to get together with more than 20 people, most of whom were kids. Even though my aunt was not the greatest cook, we all enjoyed it usually because my grandmother did the lion’s share of the cooking. Nana definitely saved the day!
As all of us kids became young adults, we still got together at least once a year and always for Thanksgiving. It gave us all a chance to share our experiences at college, in our first jobs, our first apartments, and how things were going with our current boyfriends or girlfriends.
A key part of Thanksgiving in a big family was the family photo. That was our most important tradition probably even more so than the turkey! When they were little, several of my cousins objected strenuously to the photo. Crying often ensued. With a big growing family, my aunt was an inveterate picture taker, and she insisted that everyone had to be in the picture. Lining up 20 or more of us in the family room could easily take a half hour. But all these years later, especially now after my aunt and uncle, my parents, and my grandmother are gone, we’re glad to have these photos. Plus it’s so much fun to see how cute everyone was as kids and how much we all have changed. I only wish that I had copies of the photos of the Thanksgivings past. So I have to be satisfied with going through the photo albums when I visit my aunt’s house.
The Thanksgiving tradition continues. A few years ago, I had the festivities at my house: 36 people! I set up three long tables snaking around my great room. I had to rent plates and glassware because, in spite of my sizable stash of housewares, I didn’t have enough for that big crowd.
I got up early and made two big turkeys. That Thanksgiving was a lot of work but a lot of fun. I regret that I didn’t make the crowd line up for the annual family photo that would have included a whole new generation of kids. Mistake. But I did manage to snap a few candids throughout the day. I’m glad I have this one with my aunt Flo and my uncle Norman who have since passed.
Times Have Changed and So Has My Skin
Although I, too, was one of the kids who bristled at taking the family photo, it’s nice to see how I’ve changed over the years as well. I was lucky that although I must have had rosacea as a toddler (my mother called it “wind burn”), it has subsided, though I still have slightly pink cheeks.
I didn’t suffer with acne as a teen, and I had nice skin. In college, one of the girls on my floor encouraged me to start using moisturizer, and I chose the lightweight yellow moisturizer that everyone seemed to be using back then. Here’s my college graduation picture. I chose to be captured in black and white because I thought it was more serious and artsy, lol. But look at that smooth, flawless skin! I think the only makeup I was wearing was mascara and maybe clear lipgloss!
Unfortunately, I bought into the tanning craze as a teen and young adult – my big regret, and back then there was no sunscreen, only suntan lotion. Little did I know, there would be consequences for all those hours in the sun.
Now as a mature woman, my skin has gone through a lot of changes. I have to work much harder to keep my “nice skin” looking youthful and healthy. Dryness, fine lines and wrinkles, firmness, and sun damage are my key concerns. Plus I’m always trying to recapture the healthy pink-cheeked glow that I had as a girl. In fact, I just started using a new moisturizer, L’Oreal Age Perfect Cell Renewal Rose Tone Moisturizer, to see if it will help me reignite the rosy glow that I still love. I’ll be back again after a couple of weeks, and let you know how it’s going with the new moisturizer.
In the meantime, what are your favorite traditions for Thanksgiving?
I am participating in a campaign for L’ORÉAL USA. I am receiving a fee for posting; however, the opinions expressed in this post are my own. I am in no way affiliated with L’ORÉAL USA and do not earn a commission or percent of sales.
36 people seems like madness! I think I would be going crazy with any more than 10!
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I haven’t hosted Thanksgiving since!
We also did the same sort of tradition with all the aunts, uncles, cousins all going to my grandmas. As I’ve aged, I’ve come to appreciate time with my immediate family.
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Wow! 36 people! You were a brave soul! I hope you enjoy your Thanksgiving this year and you only have to bring a side dish!
All beautiful pictures! That table is decorated really nicely, and has some great food.