Stock Image

The stock image of Thanksgiving described in the prompt is my Thanksgiving. This year, my dad’s side of the family gathered at my paternal grandparents house in St. Louis, and all 32 of us sat down at two large fancy tables and attempted to eat enough food for 50 people. My grandmother makes all the food, and she starts at about 9 in the morning and cooks for 10-11 hours straight. I think she genuinely enjoys it because she never accepts any of the help offered to her and she is always in a great mood throughout the process. Being a grandmother, she has endless stories and morals, but if she had to have one motto it would be “Restraint equals regret.” This phrase is exemplified in the enormous amounts of food. There are two different types of turkey, one traditional and one boneless, stuffed with meat pâté. There are two beef tenderloins wrapped in bacon, roast chicken, cream corn, spinach lasagna, sweet potatoes in bourbon sauce, polentas, two kinds of stuffing (meat and vegetarian), pasta, fried snapper with tomato sauce, rolls, the most enormous bowl of mashed potatoes you have ever seen, peach pie, cherry pie, pumpkin pie, sweet potato pie, and ice cream. We eat as much as we can and don’t regret a single bite.

I am the oldest of sixteen cousins on my dad’s side. My grandmother’s house is not huge, so the adults and the younger kids have to stay at a nearby hotel. But the older kids get to stay at the house and watch movies and have fun as late as they want, and my favorite memories of Thanksgiving are probably born during this time. I can confidently say that I love this holiday because I love spending time with my family.