Happy Thanksgiving!
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday! It’s the holiday filled with tradition that’s not about giving or receiving, but just about family and, of course, eating too much!
I love Thanksgiving, not for any recent established traditions, but for the family traditions “back in the day” growing up in Arlington, VA.
My father was a prolific high school athlete attending GW High School in Alexandria, VA where he grew up from 1936-1939. I still have the scrapbook my grandfather created for him from all his exploits being an All-State athlete in football, basketball, and baseball! At 6’4″ tall and 225 pounds, basketball was his best and most favorite sport. He continued to be remembered and well-known for years and years after graduation thanks, in no small part, to the award-winning sportswriter from the “Alexandria Gazette”, Jack Tulloch.
Well, on Thanksgiving morning, for as long as I can remember, my mother would fix our family this traditional breakfast, which we still fix today, consisting of scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, and something we call “puffs” which is a homemade roll dough, allowed to rise overnight, rolled out to a thin layer, then cut into small shapes, and fried in oil until they puff up while when served tableside you slather them in butter and jam–uhm, uhm, good!
We’d then head to the “Old Oaken Bucket” football game which was played every Thanksgiving morning at 11AM between Alexandria’s George Washington High School (GWHS) and Arlington’s Washington-Lee High School (WLHS) from 1935-1968. Of course, we always sat on the GW side to cheer them on since that was Dad’s alma mater where he played in the 1936, 1937, and 1938 games.
Somewhat ironically, on the Friday morning after the 1967 “Old Oaken Bucket” game, on the front page of both the “Alexandria Gazette” (the Alexandria local paper) and the “Northern Virginia Sun” (the Arlington local paper) was a picture of my father crossing the field walking from the GW side (for the first time ever) to the W-L side of the field to sit in the stands and root for his son (me) who was now a member of the Washington-Lee football team as a sophomore. My junior year was unfortunately the last year for the “Old Oaken Bucket” game!
After the game, we’d head back home in time to enjoy the two NFL games on TV where Mom would plate up a variety of snacks for us to enjoy as our family and friends began to gather. Our family structure “back in the day” was very nuclear and most of our entire family members lived close by. So, with family and friends, we always had 15-20 people over for Thanksgiving dinner which was served at 6PM. Mom did all the cooking and would serve both ham and turkey where her turkey was always stuffed. Accompaniments other than the stuffing included green beans, mashed potatoes, a sweet potato casserole, potato salad, deviled eggs, cranberry sauce, and hot rolls along with her homemade turkey gravy. Dessert was pumpkin, apple, and mincemeat pies with vanilla ice cream. After dinner, everyone pitched in to clean up and wash the dishes Mom enjoyed some well-deserved “down” time. Friday dinner was just as good as the evening before, enjoying leftovers, and ham and turkey sandwiches with lettuce and mayo.
Today, yes, we still enjoy our traditional breakfast, watch football, perhaps enjoy a little “siesta”, lay out a few snacks, serve our Thanksgiving feast at 7PM where we only prepare a roast turkey, add an oven-cooked oyster dressing, no potato salad or deviled eggs, and no mincemeat pie.
Being an only child, our family is now very small where our group consists of only 6-8 family members plus a guest or two–not nearly as festive as our home was “back in the day” filled with constant idle chatter and loud laughter. After it’s “all said and done”, I always take a few moments to nostalgically reflect on those Thanksgivings from yesteryear with such fond memories.
I used to take life for granted, but no more as I’m very much aware tomorrow is never promised and life is so precious. I’m so very thankful for every moment I have on Earth and I’m so very thankful for my family!
Happy Thanksgiving!!