Much anxiety leading up to Thanksgiving this year as my mom decided to skip town. Smart woman. She left us and a slew of Johnsons to fend for ourselves as she enjoys a quiet holiday with my brother and his girlfriend in Denver. Mom, her chocolate pecan pie and her free-range turkey are taking a well deserved breather this year.
This was our first official stab at a turkey (not sure if I should count that Boone's soaked Thanksgiving in college). A turkey, Jerry's mashed sweet potatoes, stuffing and cranberries were a must. I knew we could easily navigate our way through the sides...but a turkey? The turkey is the main event and the Thanksgiving feast is only THE most important meal of the entire year. 364 days of waiting for this grand bird (cuz who eats turkey any other time?). Call it beginners luck, but we rocked that turkey. Bret Michaels would have been jealous. It was flavorful, juicy and shellacked to perfection. Ella only stated that she "didn't like it" once; which in our book is an unequivocal win. Served on Mom's Wedgwood china, over twenty four hours of careful preparation to be eaten in ten minutes. Such is life with a toddler and infant.
The tradition of Thanksgiving pancit, dinuguan and ensaymada lived on at Tita Cora and Tito Joe's home later that evening. Relatives and friends from far and wide feasted on a Filipino buffet fit for a Marcos. Once the plates were cleared, circulars littered the tables and excited chatter commenced as the bold and fearless strategized for Black Friday. Kids whipped themselves into a frenzy as their parents shuffled back up to the buffet. I was like a bird that ate too much rice, stomach ready to explode. Like a glutton for punishment, I kept making my way back for more egg rolls and siew bao. The long ride home from Plainfield is the perfect digestif. And it's that ride from Plainfield to Oak Park late on Thanksgiving night that rings in the start of the holiday season for me. We allowed ourselves to tune in to Delilah on "Chicago's Home for the Holidays", FM 93.9. Listening to her syrupy soft voice is just as much Christmas as Bing Crosby.
As I get older, I am starting to realize the importance of creating and preserving traditions. And our holidays are steeped in tradition. From Thanksgiving morning with the Rockettes and cinnamon rolls to Jerry's uncles happily watching their family's commotion through the bottom of a whiskey tumbler. These are the snapshots of our Thanksgiving. Foods and events that have been brought together by two great families that are uniquely ours. And for that I am so grateful. Happy, happy thanksgiving.