Here's how they would go...... around 10:30 the phone calls would start... .first from Diane wondering where we were because she's hungry and they wanted to eat lunch by 11 or 11:30....hehehee!!! We live less than a 1/4 mile from Grannie's house... it's not like it's gonna take an hour to get there. Then if we didn't get over there within ten minutes of her phone call, we'd get another and then another until we got there. We'd all stand around the kitchen and living room at Grannie's house and hang out until everyone got there, say grace.... which sometimes was just the grandkids yelling GRACE really loud and then grabbing plates, then eat lunch. OH the lunch.... turkey, turkey soup, ham, mashed potatoes, rice, green beans, corn bread, rolls, corn, seems like some other veggies that I never ate, and then desserts..... pecan pie, coconut cake (which I'm not a fan of but boy did they look pretty), pound cake, and several others. We feasted like kings. I remember that before we did anything else, we'd have to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving parade on tv just long enough for Diane to see the Rockettes and for us to see Santa, then we'd run to the den and start digging out the Christmas decorations and Christmas records.
We'd listen to Bing Crosby, Alabama, Elvis Christmas and many others.... Blue Christmas was my favorite that we'd all sing out loud as we decorated the tree and we hardly ever listened to anything new.... always the same songs every year. I love those songs to this day. Putting lights on the tree was always entertaining.... it'd always start with one of us being told to put the lights on, but somehow Lanier would hate it and then he'd get in there and have to redo them. The mamas would each grab the ornament boxes and start hanging them on the edges of them so that it's easier for us kids to grab and put on the tree. 2 things that HAD to go on the tree before we were finished.... Grannie's special ornament that she's had since she was a little bitty girl and the Red Headed Angel, which I am very lucky to have now (she doesn't top my tree, but gets a very special place in the house so that everyone can see her just the same).
I currently don't have any pictures of us decorating Grannie's tree when we were little, but that will change soon enough. I hope to find those pictures and scan them in someday, but below are pictures from several Thanksgivings that the second (or third- depending on who's reading this) generation decorated.
2004- Mathis taking care of the lower limbs with Adena in the background manning the cd player. We used to use the old record player but sometimes it was just easier to pull out the cd player.
Grannie putting her special ornament on the tree- front and center.
Andrew and Walker waiting their turn.
Dad and little Kyia.
Walker Wild Man Wing! ; )
Steve, being the tallest in the family, gets the duty of lifting the lightest kid up to put the Red Headed Angel on the tree..... This year it's Walker's turn.
As we got older, the grandkids took over the ornament distribution so that the mamas can do other things.
Mom and Kyia.... she's looking a little sleepy.
The den.... our favorite family gathering place. Going to miss that place. The wood paneling from floor to ceiling, the pictures on the walls, and the smell of Grannie's cigarette smoke.
2006. Mathis gets to put the angel on the tree. My how these kids have grown. Hard to believe this was just 2 years ago.
Kyia is big enough to decorate the tree now.
Smiling Mathis
Little Brendan
I think I remember us having to go back in and move some of her ornaments around. She insisted on putting them all on the same branch. Gotta love it!
Steve and Matt stringing the lights. Yeah... a little out of order, but I'm actually surprised Lanier isn't standing in the background pointing out directions.
Andrew, Walker, and Mathis
Mom handing Kyia and Brendan more ornaments.
Now with Grannie gone and mom and dad have moved to Florida, this Thanksgiving will be much different. Still fun, but much different from what I'm used to. Now is the time we all start our own Thanksgiving traditions but I hope to keep some of the same ones intact from back in the day and again, I hope that once my sisters and I have kids, that we'll bring back the old Thanksgiving Day Lunch traditions with the big lunch and the decorating of a tree.... somewhere.
I hope ya'll all have a very happy, safe, and turkey filled Thanksgiving!!! I plan on breaking out Elvis and singing some Blue Christmas. ; )
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