thanksgiving traditions...

i think i've told you before that boone's mom is a big tradition-maker and -keeper around the holidays. there's always the soup supper at Christmas, and the harris poll after thanksgiving dinner. there are always beignets christmas morning, and we always make peanut butter balls (buckeyes) together as a fam.

my side of our family, though isn't really big on the idea of "traditions" for the holidays. as a child, i tried to instigate an all-family macy's thanksgiving parade watching tradition, but that devolved into "biz turns on the TV to the parade but no one watches it because they're in the kitchen drinking bloody marys and cooking" tradition. ;) as an adult, it turns out that i like this "tradition" much better.

 and although we don't call it a"tradition" we are ABSOLUTELY, FIERCELY loyal to the foods we eat each thanksgiving day. if you try to change the family cornbread dressing in ANY way, someone will DEFINITELY have a hissy fit. and oyster gravy, two kinds of cranberry sauce, my grandmother's  yeast rolls, and the most amazing smoked turkey must be SOMEWHERE on the table, or someone's getting shanked (or anviled?).

we're going to be with boone's family this thanksgiving, and i'm planning on keeping my own personal holiday tradition of adding fordhook lima beans to the menu, and i'm really excited about the harris poll. I've been thinking though, now that we're all adults, maybe we can make our very own tradition of watching the parade with bloody mary's?

what thanksgiving traditions does your family religiously, ferociously keep? what ones do you want to add?

vintage photos of the macy's thanksgiving day parade from macy's, google, and life magazine.