Favorite Thanksgiving Day Memories

In my childhood home, holidays were for FAMILY ONLY. All our friends had to go home, we couldn't go anywhere else and rarely did any other family visit us over the holidays. That was THE Rule. End of story.

Back in the early '70's when I was 19 years old and an old married woman, my husband (#1) and I were in Amway - don't worry, no products are left! But, when I say we were IN Amway, I mean we were IN Amway - hook, line and sinker. We had meetings 4 nights a week and traveled a lot to the motivational meetings in various states. I met a ton of very nice people who made a huge impact on my life - especially our "Directs".

Being "Direct" meant that your Amway business brought in a minimum of $1,000 per month. Our "direct's" names were Dewey and Jan and they lived just south of Chicago.

Well, one year, our Direct's invited everyone in Their (pyramid) Line to spend Thanksgiving Day and night in their two-bedroom house. About 6 couples were present for Thanksgiving Dinner. We all pitched in and gabbed and learned little tricks from each other. I remember being very impressed over the sweet potatoes with miniature marshmellows melted on them. Other than those little, toasted marshmellows and the fact that the pregnant woman in the group got to sleep in one of the kids' beds while the rest of us slept on the floor - I really don't remember anything other a bunch of friends having an enjoyable time. It wasn't what we had but who we shared it with that mattered.

One more memorable Thanksgiving and then it's your turn.

My 2nd husband was a paraplegic who had 6 kids from previous relationships and had adopted my son. Well, Vic rarely got up out of bed due to many bedsores. Vic had a close friend, Eddie B., who lived in Chicago. Eddie B. was the best house guest and always went out of his way to help me and entertain my young son.

Eddie B. came to visit one cold, icy Thanksgiving weekend. He convinced (and helped) Vic get up out of bed to come and eat at the table as a surprise for me while I was cooking in the kitchen. I had just turned the oven off and was getting everything set on the table when the weight of the ice knocked out the electric to the house. It was still daylight out but blustery and the electric never even gave us any hope of coming back on so I dug out the oil lamps and set one in the middle of the table.

The four of us (none of my step-children were living with us that year) ate the entire meal by the light of that oil lamp. Vic and Eddie B. had both been raised in the South and shared their boyhood stories while we listened to the wonderful silence of no electrical hum or television. Yes, NO Thanksgiving Day television - NO FOOTBALL! Just pure, enjoyable conversation. This one HAS to be the best Thanksgiving EVER for me!

What's yours?