My family is really big on traditions, and of course, this is incredibly evident throughout the holiday season. For some reason, years ago, we started eating chicken enchiladas for Christmas dinner. Now, if anyone even TALKS about cooking something different, I threaten to cry. It’s tradition, and it’s going to stay that way.

But Christmas tradition is something I’ll talk about in a month or so. 🙂 This post is about Thanksgiving tradition, and my celebration of that holiday starts this weekend. Wahoo!!!

On Friday, Mack and I will go to Jack’s school for the Morgan Mill ISD Thanksgiving dinner. This might sound sound commonplace, but if you’re from around here, you’ll know it’s a big deal. Our tiny school, with around 100 students in k-8 grades, feeds around 800 people. This year, they’re roasting 47 turkeys. The students de-bone the turkeys, clean the school ’til it shines, and serve their guests. Soldiers from Fort Hood come and are treated like absolute royalty, and we enjoy every second of it.

This is the first year that Mack and I have ever been able to go together, and obviously is Dorothy’s first MM School Thanksgiving experience. I imagine I’ll probably take some pictures to document the occasion. 🙂

But Saturday… oh, Saturday is when the fun REALLY starts!

My baby sister is going to be home for Thanksgiving this year, and that means the tradition can kick into high gear. See, I’m big into tradition, and Sam is big into tradition. But together? We’re a MACHINE.

We WILL scalp food from the table before lunch is ready. We WILL hoard the pies. We WILL fight over who gets to finish the mashed potatoes. We WILL watch “Home Alone” on Thanksgiving night. The day after Thanksgiving, we WILL put up and decorate the tree at Mom’s house, while we watch “Charlie Brown Christmas”.

And sometime over the week that she’s home, we will build gingerbread houses. This year, Sam will help Jack build his, and I will “help” Dorothy build hers. The gingerbread houses are a big deal to us… we did them every year as children with my Dad’s mom. My Grandy passed away when I was 14, and I miss her every single day. But overwhelmingly, especially as I get older and have a family of my own, I miss her terribly during the holidays. I like to think that she can see us, carrying on her tradition with my munchkins, and telling them stories about their sweet Grandy in heaven. Under no circumstances will we miss building those gingerbread houses.

Here are a few pictures of Sam & I as children, building our vast and imposing structures. 🙂

I think Dorothy really favors her Aunt Sam, particularly when I see pictures like the one below…

My Grandy is with us in this next picture… she was so beautiful, huh?

I’m so grateful that I had a picture-takin’ Mama to capture these for us… they’re priceless to me now!

In other news, Mack has decided that he’s adding a new tradition to our lives… fireworks. On Thanksgiving. Expect pictures next week, for sure. 🙂