Life Care residents share favorite Thanksgiving memories and traditions
Thanksgiving traditions run deep in America, and our residents have many favorite memories and traditions from this holiday of gratitude. Here are some of their most unique ones!
“Calling the turkey Thomasina instead of Tom Turkey.”
L.S., Life Care Center of Crossville, Tennessee
“I would always cook the turkey, dressing and ham for the children that didn’t care for turkey.”
D.W., Life Care Center of Hendersonville, North Carolina
“We had large family gatherings (approximately 14). We all sat at a big dining room table, and my mom lived in the kitchen. She did all the cooking. We ate turkey with all the traditional foods: dressing, yams with little marshmallows, cranberries, etc. The women would visit, and the men would watch football. We kids liked to play hide-and-seek. We had three kinds of pie for dessert: pumpkin, apple and minced meat.”
C.C., Life Care Center of Coos Bay, Oregon
“We ate a nice meal as a family, and boys played football, and girls watched them play. Girls were not allowed to play football. We played with our toys.”
A.C., Garden Terrace at Fort Worth
“We had a big family gathering and a big get-together with friends and neighbors. Sometimes we went to church and also did fun stuff together.”
C.D., Life Care Center of Kennewick, Washington
“When my son was in the service, he would come home for Thanksgiving meals. After my divorce, my neighbors would invite me over for dinner.”
J.M., Life Care Center of Hendersonville, North Carolina
“Family get-together at Grandma’s. We would play in the woods, which we would not always get to do. I loved all vegetables my grandma would make for Thanksgiving.”
K.M., Mitchell Manor in Mitchell, Indiana
“I was about 11 years old, and I remember that my father took me to the city of Whittier to distribute boxes of food to the poor children.”
B.G., La Habra Convalescent Hospital in La Habra, California
“I would go to my grandparents’ house and eat a large dinner. Then I would get so full I would take a nap. When I woke up, I would start eating more and then have some pie.”
R.R., Life Care Center of Hendersonville, North Carolina
“I would always go hunting (deer, squirrel) on Thanksgiving with my dad. My mom would always give me a turkey leg.”
T.A., Life Care Center of Athens, Tennessee
“I make my grandma’s recipes. She was a good cook. The pumpkin pie had the best crust. She also made cookies and bread stuffing.”
K.M., Garden Terrace at Overland Park, Kansas
“Going to Grandma’s for a big lunch – turkey and dressing. On my mother’s side of the family, they lived across from a cemetery, and we would walk around to find the oldest tombstones. Also, to look and see how much a fence rail had grown into a tree. It was there for years.”
J.K., Life Care Center of Red Bank in Chattanooga, Tennessee
“I looked forward to visiting with family and friends each year.”
B.L., Life Care Center of Cape Girardeau, Missouri
“My favorite Thanksgiving tradition is making candied yams with family. My favorite Thanksgiving memory is having dinner with my family and being thankful.”
M.C., Life Care Center of Pueblo, Colorado
“Helping my mom fix our Thanksgiving dinner and all the family coming over talking and enjoying each other, all the kids playing outside when we could go out. Running through the house and my mom and aunts yelling at us. We had about 15 people there for dinner and the best food around!”
A.W., Life Care Center of Bruceton-Hollow Rock in Bruceton, Tennessee
“When the whole family showed up at my parents’ house for the holiday time. It was too cold to play football in Washington, D.C., so we watched it on TV or listened to it on the radio.”
G.W., Garden Terrace at Fort Worth
“While my family cooked the Thanksgiving meal, my father would go out into our field and stir up the rabbits to hunt. My husband always fixed a traditional cornbread dressing. Our recipe was a little different. Instead of eggs, we added mayo, French dressing, cubes of bread, cooked cornbread, soda crackers along with the rest of the traditional cornbread ingredients.”
D.B., Life Care Center of Centerville, Tennessee
“Every year, I pray on Thanksgiving that everyone will have healthy holidays and a healthy year.”
J.F., Life Care Center of Athens, Tennessee
“Usually my grandpa, grandma and family would all get together and have a dinner. We try to keep it kind of health-conscious. We try to have food that ain’t real high-calorie and stuff like that.”
J.D., Garden Terrace at Overland Park, Kansas
“I went to my mother’s house every Thanksgiving. I loved the persimmon pudding she made and the wine turkey. We still make the wine turkey today.”
M.B., Mitchell Manor in Mitchell, Indiana
“We each take a turn with what we are thankful for. Then we go around with how we intend to show our gratitude. Then we pray. Then we eat.”
P.S.N., La Habra Convalescent Hospital in La Habra, California
“When my whole family would gather around and have a wonderful Thanksgiving meal together. After the meal was over, we would all stroll the family farm and pick out the perfect Christmas tree for my father and brothers to cut down. We would take the perfect tree back home, and our whole family would decorate the tree. As this was done, we would sing Christmas carols and enjoy eggnog.”
B.S., Life Care Center of Centerville, Tennessee
