Today (November 28) is a date that SHOULD be Thanksgiving — since November 22 is the EARLIEST date that Thanksgiving can be, I think it came TOO early this year. It threw me off completely, even messing up my timeframe for Christmas planning and shopping. And though I usually boo and hiss Christmas music prior to Thanksgiving, this year, I continue to do so because November 22nd was waaaay too soon to begin hearing it!

So, I thought I would revisit (or redux – from the Latin reducere, to lead back) Thanksgiving briefly and before we all forget to ask you all a question about your celebration….What was the best part for you?

For me, it was having all three of my sons together at a meal. And not only did I get my sons, I got their ‘women’, too!  It was just a nice day with good food (IMHO) and good company in a relaxed atmosphere…. My favorite kind of holiday!

Then, there was the food, of course!  The gravy turned out well – flavorful, thick-enough and dark-enough – which is always a big challenge for me — and the mashed potatoes (a recipe borrowed from friend Janice Maynard) were fabulous. And, my one brand-new, never-tried-before dessert – sweet potato pie – was a huge hit with hubby closely-monitoring every slice he didn’t get, hoping for leftovers for himself! In an amazing bout of forethought, he bought the pie crust in a 2-pack so there would be an extra one for making later.

Later, the house was quiet, but the aroma of roast turkey and sweet potato pie still swirled and it was a nice ending to a really nice day. . . until the house was rattled by an earthquake! LOL – no, really! Of course, anyone living in California would never have even felt the 2.1 on the Richter scale event, but ANY earthquake is a big deal to us in southern NJ…..

So, for me, family, food and the earth moving beneath my feet were the highlights of my Thanksgiving — how about you? A favorite Thanksgiving moment? A favorite food or recipe you can share? Something you will remember amongst your Thanksgiving memories? Please — share!

 

   Terri is working on a new Highlander novella that will be part of an HQN anothology in June 2013. Her next release will be AT THE HIGHLANDER’S MERCY, an April 2013 Harlequin Historical. Visit her website for more info about upcoming books and events.