Our Thanksgiving



This Thanksgiving, my fiance’s extended family (the local extended family) met my family for the first time.  Months ago, my mother recognized the upcoming holiday (and an impending engagement that was a secret until about 48 hours ago) as an opportunity to cook a ton of food, and she did exactly that.  This should come as no surprise to any readers of this blog, but even for my mother, this was quite the undertaking.
My mother made these wonderful place markers for each guest.  They each held a dozen pieces of Harbor Sweets chocolates that we bought in Salem, Mass.. She placed rosemary and pine cones from our gardens on the front of each of them.

            Our family was brought together for the first time, and we sat and bonded with the help of three turkeys, several pounds of stuffing, an equal amount of mashed potatoes, a ton of corn, plentiful green beans, rolls for days, 20(!) pumpkin and pecan pies, Crab Hoelzel, Peanut Soup, sweet potatoes, and if I’m forgetting anything you’ll have to forgive me because come on, that’s a lot of food. 







            We held the dinner at my parents’ guest house, or, as it’s more commonly known, The Stone House.  It features a jukebox that spins vintage 45s, and a very wide-open space in the main room that could comfortably accommodate the thirteen people who attended.  Cooking that kind of meal for such a large group created certain logistical issues that necessitated the use of chafing dishes and sternos, a first for us.  And I’d like to say I did a wonderful job popping the caps off of the sternos and lighting them!  




            Other ways in which I contributed: 

                        -Moving the food into the chafing dishes.
                        -Bringing up soda and apple cider from the downstairs refrigerator.
                        -Lending my calming presence. 
                        -Plugging the impromptu playlist into the jukebox. 
                        -Helping my sister find La Bamba in said jukebox, which proved                                    difficult due to a mislabeling.
                        -I wanted to set up a fog machine, but was overruled. 
                        -Getting engaged, thereby necessitating the event in the first place!




            It was a fantastic evening.  The peanut soup and the Crab Hoelzel are two of my absolute favorite foodstuffs ever, and over the past months that I’ve been dating Thais it’s been my pleasure to meet her wonderful family.  I loved being able to finally introduce them to my own. 

And by the end of the meal, we all felt kind of like this:






Comments

Anonymous said…
It must have been an amazing Thanksgiving! I know I would have fallen in to a food coma after most likely eating way too much :-) :-)

Have a great day!

Christer.
dustbunny8 said…
Congratulations Blog Tech and family!
Teacats said…
What a wonderful story -- your mum's amazing cooking and baking skills are such a treasure to your whole extended family! Each detail of the table settings and food prep are filled with love and magic! Lovely setting -- and the perfect time for an engagement! Congratulations to you both -- and hope to read more about the upcoming wedding! Cheers!
Susan said…
I bet your calming presence was the biggest help! Congrats to you and Thais!
SantasHauntedB said…
The engagement was the best news of all! Congrats to you both! Happy Belated Thanksgiving! You guys are super cute!
Guillaume said…
Oh boy! You don't celebrate Thanksgiving half way! So much food! Congratulations for the engagement.
Leanne said…
What a way to meet your new to be extended family. Sounds like everything went to plan and you all made some wonderful memories to begin your life together. Huge congratulations on your engagement.
Barb said…
Great event! And a fun post!
1st Man said…
Thanks for the post and of course, congrats. Your Mother is amazing (and I'm sure we're not saying something you don't already know, ha). What a lovely day, and food, drink and family is always the best way to meet and bond!
chickpea678 said…
What happened to Teddy??!?! I don't remember her looking like that!

:) haha. Glad you all had such a nice time.

You outdid yourself Joyce!
Joyce is an amazing woman and you are a wonderful son to her. I was so happy to hear of your engagement and I wish you and Thais all the happiness in the world. She is lovely, Brendan!

Joyce is an inspiration to all of us who follow her blog. Your whole family gives back so much to the community and I am proud to call you my friends.
Mona
Herbalgirl said…
Big congratulations, Blog Tech!! I'll bet your mom sent them all home with a pie (or two) each. :)
No one can ever accuse your Mom of skimping on the food, Blog Tech. Many congrats to you and Thais on your engagement!
Kay said…
Oh wow! Oh wow! Congratulations and best wishes. You make such a lovely couple. That is a whole lot of food. And I thought we had a lot, but this was awesome!
ChgoJohn said…
What a wonderful way to celebrate the holiday. Good for you all!
Rue said…
Congratulations to you both! Happy news, and what a wonderful way to share it!