Thanksgiving was a whirl of food and friends. Adult children have their own lives and plans, so the last few years, we have taken to the “Friendsgiving” tradition that my parents raised me on.
Mom and Dad had a core group of friends who were there every year. Everyone knew who brought pies, who made the cranberry sauce and Bloody Marys, and Mom and Dad made the basics. Mom pulled out Grandma Bannick’s china and her own silver. There was a ritual “argument” about whether or not raisins had any place in the dressing. (Mom was pro-raisin, Dad said no, if there are raisins, it’s bread PUDDING. We always had both, and if you knew what was good for you, you ate some of each.)
The children from the various families attended or didn’t, depending on travel, kids, in-laws, or geography. Sometimes, we brought friends along with us and extra tables and linens and china were unearthed. Although I sometimes regretted not being there for this festive day, my regret was entirely of my own making – we were never compelled or made to feel guilty about living our lives.
Flash forward fifteen years since the last traditional Weisenhorn Thanksgiving in 2003, and here was our gang of friends enjoying pre-meal hilarity.
I had fun pulling out Grandma’s china, and linens from my mom and Lee’s mom. I’m grateful to be the recipient of so many lovely heirlooms.
Here’s the group who started it all. Every year for well over twenty years, they taught me about gracious hospitality, good conversation, and delicious food, by always including us in the preparations, the conversations, and the cleanup.
From left, Kuyk Logan (best dinner conversation ever), Ada Cocoros (pies), Don Weisenhorn (dressing without raisins, but sometimes also with oysters), Elaine Weisenhorn (turkey, dressing with raisins, all things potato), Dianne Logan (the originator of the famous cranberries in port wine sauce, Bloody Marys, glamorous appetizers), John Cocoros (hilarity and Washington Redskins play-by-play).
LuckyXena 