NEWS

​The idea began small and grew from a Thanksgiving for two families (before the birth of the term “Friendsgiving”) to a feast for many, all in our comfortable-but-not-large home. The year was 1984, and we decided to share Thanksgiving at our house with friends Connie and Frank and their four-year-old son. Our family of four, Cecil and I and two boys, ages five and eight, brought the total to seven.

Cecil’s parents and my mother would come, and Frank’s parents. That brought our number to 12. A nice, even dozen. Then Frank’s parents learned that their neighbors, an elderly couple, had nowhere to go on Thanksgiving. Could they come? Of course! There’s always room for one more. Our next-door neighbors were scheduled to be on call at the hospital, so they and their two young sons could not plan a Thanksgiving meal, so we added four more.

Alfi, a distinguished Egyptian friend from church, was going to be alone that holiday, so we added him. And what about Mrs. Moffett? She couldn’t stay by herself on Thanksgiving Day. Newly divorced Stephen had no family nearby. What about him? So our number grew. And grew. And grew. We were soon a “framily” of 63.

Our kitchen had one oven. We had a trestle table in the breakfast nook and an inherited dining room table that, thankfully, had several leaves. With borrowed tables and chairs from the church, we had seating for 60 – in the dining room, in the living room, in the den, on the screened porch, and even in our downstairs bedroom. Three of us would eat at a kitchen counter. Easy-peasy! But how would we feed so many with only one oven? Not so easy.

Connie and I would each prepare a large turkey. When word spread, as it does in a small town, friends from church offered to roast turkeys and deliver them on Thanksgiving Day. Our two sons made cranberry-pineapple salad, frozen and served in cupcake liners. Alfi asked to bring rolls, and Stephen ordered floral arrangements for each of the eight tables. Other guests contributed side dishes or desserts.

That Thanksgiving was a gray day, and cool, perfect for a fire in our fireplace. After our meal, people gathered in the living room or the kitchen or around the fireplace for the sharing of stories. Memories of past years. Of which that Thanksgiving is among my fondest.

(Editors: For Thanksgiving recipes from the cooks on the Editorial Board, please click on the links.)
Jennie’s recipe for Frozen Cranberry Salad.
Jennie’s recipe for Sausage Dressing.
Margo’s recipe for Nana’s Cornbread and Rice Dressing.
Margo’s recipe for 24-Hour Fruit Salad.
Lyn’s recipe for Mincemeat.
Allyson’s recipe for Sweet Potato Souffle