November at Our House--Thanksgiving Traditions

   “Whenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth; whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul; whenever I find myself involuntarily pausing before coffin warehouses, and bringing up the rear of every funeral I meet; and especially whenever my hypos get such an upper hand of me, that it requires a strong moral principle to prevent me from deliberately stepping into the street, and methodically knocking people's hats off - then, I account it high time to get to sea as soon as I can.” 
― Herman Melville, Moby-Dick

I don't have an urge to go to sea in November, but I do agree the days can be gray. I love the holiday season, but because I love Thanksgiving, I don't want to treat it like the pickle in the middle stuck between Halloween and Christmas (I love those holidays, too.)

Here are some of our family's Thanksgiving traditions:

Tate Turkey Trot--Thanksgiving morning, we all run around the Rancho Santa Margarita Lake. My oldest son's girlfriend coined our new phrase: Thighs before pies! This year, I've been told that there will be medals.

Candy Corn Gratitude--We place three candy corns beside each plate and we take turns expressing three things we're grateful for. (And we can't repeat anyone else.)

Boy Pie Baking Contest--All adult men are required to bake a pie. My oldest son has won every year.

The Day After Turkey Pizzas-- You might think that these are pizzas made with turkey, but you would be wrong. Turkey pizzas are individual pizzas made to look like turkey. Colorful bell peppers are key to making a great looking turkey pizza.

My daughter is a professional photographer and here's her blog post about our family's Thanksgiving. (Her pictures are better than mine.) http://thebarnettes.blogspot.com/2016/12/happy-thanksgiving.html