Forty-Four People For Thanksgiving

Tami and Jim were like the Darlings of Lady and The Tramp except they had four grown children

and lived in a well-to-do neighborhood called Hinsdale, near Chicago.

The period was today, and they had their home on the market for sale.

Their house on the market meant staging their home, taking down their pictures and moving furniture to a storage unit so people could visualize their “stuff” in this 3500 square foot home.

They were “on” all the time in case any realtor wanted to show the house.

Tami commuted three days a week from Chicago to Minnesota for work and was looking forward to having Thanksgiving at someone else’s house.

Early in November Tami got the call from her sister Karen, who did most of the hosting for the large family and extended family that both Tami and Jim had. Karen had broken her ankle while tripping and falling and was wearing a boot. She couldn’t have Thanksgiving this year.

Steve, one of her older brothers, was going to ask his wife, Suzy if she could have Thanksgiving but it just wasn’t feasible to do anything like that in their home.

Merry Beth had moved into a condo, so that was out of the question.

Carl and his family lived in Florida, but they were coming back home to Chicago and were looking forward to the family festivities.

Jim’s Mother had just passed away in October, so his three sisters were not emotionally available for such an event. His one brother lived in a condominium downtown. His other brother was coming in from Texas to celebrate.

Where was everyone going to meet for Thanksgiving?

Where was Thanksgiving going to be held this year?

It was this realization that came upon Tami and Jim to accept their fate and lovingly figure out what they were going to do to have Thanksgiving for forty-four people.

First of all, they moved the two living room sofas into the den by the kitchen. The Den is where people could sit and talk before dinner. Easy access to the carpeted downstairs where the youngsters could play and be safe on their own. The two living room chairs were moved upstairs to their bedroom. They pushed the Grand Piano close to the corner so they could fit in three round tables that would fit ten people each.

The fourth ordered table is in their kitchen where another ten can eat. Tami and Jim’s regular kitchen table which was a smaller glass roundtable moved into one of the empty kid’s bedrooms.

Ten people could sit around the dining room table in the dining room.

They ordered eight plastic tablecloths so that as people made their drips and stains waiting for dinner, the spoiled tablecloth could be whisked away and replaced with another new plastic dinner table just before dinner.

Tami had enough china from both Mom’s having passed away but glasses? What to do about that? She was ecstatic to order boxes of stemware to solve this problem that came in a box, and when the dinner event was over, all that Tami and Jim had to do was put the dirty glasses upside down into the boxes, and they would be taken away along with the four tables and forty chairs. What a Godsend.

Tasha. What to do with Tasha? She was their aging mixed black labrador and german shepherd. She was usually calm and liked laying down and resting most of the time. They decided she would be okay sleeping on her favorite couch in the basement. If she got obnoxious because the kids would be playing downstairs, they could put her in their bedroom.

So what about food? They bought two large turkeys and two turkey breasts because Tami wanted to make sure that there was enough white meat. Jim wanted to cook all four turkeys that day. Tami said, “no way.” She wasn’t going to be dealing with forty-four people and four turkeys at the same time. She was going to cook the two turkey breasts the day before Thanksgiving, and that was all there was to it.

They would make mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes and put them in two crockpots so they could be kept warm.

Tami got a call from Rosemary, one of Jim’s sisters asking if she could bring her Aunt who would be left alone on Thanksgiving. Tami said sure.

And then one of Suzy’s family members was coming into town and had nowhere to go for Thanksgiving, and Tami said “sure.”

Tami received a few more phone calls asking if extra people could come and Tami said, “sure.” Worse case scenario, she’d have sturdy paper plates handy and people could eat off of them if need be.

The rest of the food would be generously provided by everyone else for a potluck of traditions and food. What a great way to have Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving Came.

It was a beautiful fall day.

Warm and sunny, about sixty degrees and not a cloud in the sky.

Tami and Jim Darling were ready.

One by One, Two by Two, Families and extended families.

The food brought was incredible.

Cheese Platters.

Cheese Balls.

Vegetable platters

Spinach Dip.

Hummus and chips.

Deviled eggs

Hors-d’oeuvres handmade with little bread triangles.

Soda, Milk, Teas, Beer, Wine, and Champaign.

Sauerkraut and sausage.

Little hot dog snacks.

Guacamole.

Shrimp trays and cocktail sauce

Crab Dip

Broccoli

Brussel sprouts marinated in maple syrup with bacon wrapped around.

Three different stuffing assortments.

Ham

Yams and sweet potatoes in a marshmallow sauce.

Jello

Cranberries

Lots of chicken wings and little drumsticks.

Green Bean Casserole

Olives – Both Black and Green

Squash

Ribs

It was marvelous the food that came in with the people.

People settled down to enjoying each others’ company. Introducing themselves to the people they didn’t know. The Children were remarkably kind and loved Tasha being downstairs to be part of their dress up and play ideas.

When it came time to say grace, Jim thanked God for everyone coming and the gratitude of having such magnificent abundance.

Not a pin dropped.

Then anyone else who wanted to say a prayer or what they felt was given their turn.

When they were through giving thanks, they sat down and ate. The ruckus was fun and delightful because who doesn’t like eating and chattering when there’s such a feast like this one? There was more than enough food for everyone.

Desserts?

Apple pie

Pumpkin Pie

Cherry Pie

Pecan Pie

Grasshopper Pie

Mincemeat Pie

Brownies

Chocolate cake

Cherry Cheesecake

Suffice it to say; everyone enjoyed themselves.

Afterwards, everyone helped to clean up by washing the plates and silverware carefully, putting the glasses in the box, helping divide all the food for whoever wanted it because Tami and Jim could not possibly eat all the leftovers.

It was fun and everyone helped with the clean-up and the finality of the day with the tables broken down and the chairs folded. People hung around for a little bit more storytelling and then left. It had been a big day from early afternoon to mid-evening. It was time to say “good-bye” to Thanksgiving until next year. Hopefully, they could keep Thanksgiving in their hearts as they headed into the December Holiday Season and end of year practicalities.

Tami and Jim slept late on Friday. No Black Friday for them. They were about to get up at 8:00 when a realtor called them and said she had a young couple with a baby who wanted to look at the home in ten minutes.

Tami and Jim quickly got dressed and made up their bed. The house didn’t look too bad except for the tables and chairs and boxes of glass ready to be turned back to the rental company.

Just then the doorbell rang.

It was the rental company, and just like that, they picked up the tables, chairs, and boxes of glasses.

Tami and Jim left to get a cup of coffee at Starbucks. They were never at these showings because they didn’t want to hear the complaints people had about their home.

They loved their home and yesterday was splendid for the ole girl. She came through in style hosting all those people. They sipped their coffee, talked about yesterday and all of the other Thanksgivings they could remember. An hour passed and they knew they could go back to their home.

There was the realtor’s card, and they knew they had come and gone.

They enjoyed the rest of their Friday in quiet.

So what happened to their home?

Tami and Jim called the realtor who was pleased as punch. This young family wanted a place to give Holidays, and the realtor had told them about their forty-four people at Thanksgiving.

And you know what?

That’s what sold them.

They made a bid that following Monday.

Tami and Jim accepted their offer, and that was the last of their Thanksgivings at this home.

So what about this year?

Tami and Jim bought a smaller home in another neighborhood.

But they made sure, no matter what, it could host forty-four people for Thanksgiving.

Whatever you are doing for Thanksgiving, have a beautiful day.

God Bless You.