Thanksgiving Traditions

Happy Thanksgiving Week!

Thanksgiving hasn't always been my favorite holiday, but with the cousins in my family getting older, we've all gotten closer, which means that now it's like one big party. Most of my family is native to North and South Carolina, but recently some relatives have set their roots in places like Chicago and Orlando, so we don't see them as much as we'd like to. Thanksgiving in my family is like a big, food-coma circus party.

Here's how my Thanksgiving break normally goes:

Wednesday: make the two hour drive to Edisto. We spend most of the day helping my grandma, Mama Duck, prepare the food, generally sticking by her side for the recipes that don't have specific measurements, like "a hunk of butter," or "a good handful of bread crumbs," or even "some pecans, you decide how much." That day is much more relaxed since most of the women in the family stick to the kitchen while the men watch football, golf, or go out to the marina to check out the boats.

Thursday: the big day. Since there are only two bathrooms in the house, with eight people staying in the house, an early alarm is more or less a necessity, as is a super light breakfast. We turn on the oven at least four hours before the rest of the family is expected, and we all take turns making sure nothing is burnt to a crisp. We set up the extra tables, move around furniture, and add place settings, all while Mama Duck makes more pitchers of iced tea than an army would need. Once cousins arrive to Edisto by boat, we feast! Then we eat some more, and then once we are so stuffed we can't move, we have dessert. We all commence a afternoon nap, and then take a walk around the island. Before dark my parents, sister, and dog pile into the car to drive over to Beaufort while I take the boat with my aunt, uncle, and cousins to head across the St. Helena Sound. That is one of my favorite parts of Thanksgiving.

Both photos were taken on the way back to Beaufort last year on Thanksgiving.

Friday: Thanksgiving, part II! While the rest of the Lomas family is getting ready to drive to my aunt's house in Beaufort, those of us already there take a walk around the island, prepare the seafood, and lounge for a bit. The men go down to the store to get the buckets of fresh oysters to roast and check out the boats a bit more. The day is spent eating seafood outside, drinking beer, and playing volleyball and corn hole tournaments. In the evening, before the Edisto crowd leaves, we have a family singalong on the back porch, as hokey as that sounds. Everyone throws out requests, and my mom and I try to accommodate! Later in the evening we finish up the leftovers and get in a few rounds of board games, then usually go out on the dock to watch the stars. By 10:00 we're exhausted, and head to bed with full bellies and hearts.

Saturday brings the Carolina-Clemson game, so we head home early in the day to prepare for the game, whether that means tailgating or getting more food together to watch the game at home. This year the game will be at Williams Brice Stadium in Columbia, so I'll be going! Go Gamecocks!

After mentally going through the motions, I need for Wednesday to get here! What do y'all do for the holiday?