An Early-Morning Thanksgiving Tradition

My sister cooks Thanksgiving dinner at her home every year. My family attends every other year, and in the off years we spend the holiday with TheDad's side of the family. Usually I cook, and they all come here--though there have been exceptions, like the time Pop was in the hospital. That year I cooked it all and brought it to my brother-in-law's house and finished making the dinner there, since they lived closer to the hospital, and the adults visited Pop in shifts throughout the day.

When you cook Thanksgiving dinner you have to get up early. There are a lot of details to take care of, and a big turkey does take a while to stuff and cook. So my sister and I have developed our own little tradition. Whether it's our year to visit her home, or the "bye year" as she calls it, we spend part of the early hours of the morning on the phone. Even if we're at her house, she's got so many guests and is so busy that we don't get to talk much. So we enjoy our Thanksgiving phone call.

I've got nothing to cook this year but I'm up early anyway. The coffee is brewing, and I just got an email from my sister telling me that she's awake, and that those participating in the annual Great Pheasant Hunt will be leaving at 5:45, so I'm welcome to call anytime after that.

It may be a while before I get to cook Thanksgiving dinner again, as TheDad's cousin has just extended us a standing invitation for the "bye years." I'll have to find another time to do a turkey dinner, I guess.

But the early-morning phone call will stand as our tradition.