Thanksgiving 2025—Traditions New and Old

 The day before Thanksgiving—I’m reminiscing about long-ago holidays and celebrations with my children when they were still at home. It’s bittersweet, this remembering.

When I was a child, my parents picked us up from school on Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving, and we headed north to my Aunt Lorse and Uncle Sherman’s house in Ohio. Many times the roads were packed with snow and ice as we traveled the four-hour drive with excitement and worry of getting there safely. Mom and her sister went to work in the kitchen preparing dressing and fruit salad for the next day. Everything was homemade and the aromas from the kitchen had my mouth watering. They laughed and talked and it became a treasured tradition through the years. I played with my cousins without a care in the world.

After my husband and I were married, we ate dinner with his family including aunts and uncles, grandparents and anyone else who needed a hot meal and warm fellowship. Our Thanksgiving tradition changed again after we moved to South Carolina in the mid 80’s. Our pastor and his family invited us to join them on more than one occasion. Andy took his first steps while in their home.

Bailey and Andy - 1991

The memories wash over me as I continue through time. We moved to Anderson, South Carolina in the summer of 1989. We bought a little brick house that sat under a canopy of massive oak trees. Thanksgiving Day became the perfect time for raking thousands of leaves. Earl made huge piles of leaves for Andy and Bailey to jump in while I cooked our Thanksgiving feast in the kitchen. The joy on their faces still brings a smile as I recall their rosy cheeks and clothes plastered with leaves and dirt. Those are treasured memories I ponder when life is hard.

By the time Andy and Bailey were in late elementary school, we built our dream home on Plum Lane. I prepared a festive table in our formal dining room, every chair filled with family and friends. We loved hosting those special holidays, the more the merrier. My dad usually came from West Virginia, and one year, Earl’s parents and sister joined us. There was always room for one more. After Andy graduated from college and began working in the corporate world, he invited his boss, fiancé, and her daughter. A neighbor across the street also sat at our table. The conversation was lively–filled with different voices and cultures.

We make a huge fuss over the food, but ultimately, Thanksgiving is about the people you love and the overflow of a grateful heart. The seats around our table have changed to include my precious grandchildren, the spouses of my children, and family not related by blood, yet just as important. The bond we share is grounded in our relationship with Christ and the love He gives us to set one more place at the table. 

I have much to thank Him for this year, as we all do. When you look around your table this Thanksgiving, don’t be shy in expressing how you feel about those seated around you. Don’t miss an opportunity to say, “I love you, and I’m thankful for you.”

Our tables change every year. Children grow up and begin their own traditions, and you will take a back seat, allowing them the gift of setting their own table. Thanksgiving of 2025 will only happen once, use it wisely and joyfully. One day it will be a memory someone else treasures in their heart.

Happy Thanksgiving to you from My Little Corner!