Childhood memories of Thanksgiving & Christmas in Virginia...
Getting up early to watch the Macy's Parade while the smell of Ham cooked the night before still in the air mingling with the smell of breakfast baking, hot Monkey Bread (a sweet pull-a-part bread made with canned biscuits rolled in sugar, layered with melted sugar, cinnamon & pecans & baked until golden brown) Then turkey roasting.
Homemade dressing (not stuffing, Momma nevers stuffs the turkey) giblet gravy, candied yams, mustard potato salad, green peas, hot rolls, jellied cranberry sauce...and for dessert pecan pie & coconut pie.
We always had our meal between 1:30 - 2:00. Then some of the group would sit and play cards (Rummy when we were younger, then on to Spades or Hearts, then Canasta, and now everyone plays Phase 10)and of course the sound of some football game in the background, and Daddy taking his after dinner nap in the recliner with the newspaper in his lap. We would always watch the movies "It's a Wonderful Life" and Miracle on 34th Street"
Christmas Day, food wise a repeat of Thanksgiving, but adding in Toll House cookies to snack on. Getting up before sunlight and running into the living room to see what Santa had brought, then going back to bed until a decent hour, to exchange and open gifts.
These days we don't get to go back to Virginia for the holidays very often. So, it's just the three of us. But I make Monkey Bread, and we watch Abby exclaim over what Santa has brought, even though she is now in high school. I fix a turkey breast in the crockpot and make Stovetop dressing since I never learned Mom's recipe. But we have candied yams, giblet gravy, and green peas and jellied cranberry sauce. Later we sit down together and watch some DVD that one of us has received as a gift...and football, and "It's a Wonderful Life" and Miracle on 34th Street". So some of the tradition goes on here in Colorado.....
And later in the evening I call home and talk to all the family in Virginia where I can hear the sound of a football game in the background and someone is saying "Whose deal is it?"