We Forgot the Cranberries!

My family gathers every Thanksgiving at my Aunt and Uncle's house. My Aunt and Uncle cook a turkey and potatoes and everyone else is supposed to bring something to add to the feast. My mom brings the green bean casserole since she knows her sisters love it so much. I sometimes bring the dinner rolls, other times pickles and olives, or whatever my Aunt suggests that I should bring. I'm basically a robot following orders. Must. bring. rolls. Mmmm. rolls.

Along with the tradition of gathering and eating too much food, we tend to repeat the same catch-phrases and jokes each year. And we laugh every year.

Inevitably, someone will stand up in the middle of the meal and exclaim "We forgot the cranberries!"



This will unleash a barrage of Louie Anderson sketches that include phrases like "the Johnson's are home. They're rich you know." Or "Somebody get the bat!" We'll always circle back around to a Thanksgiving-themed sketch: "want some sweet potatoes? We've got sweet potatoes. There's some in the oven. There's more in the refrigerator. There's some in the garage. The Johnsons have some." We used to have that whole comedy routine on VHS. I wonder if my dad still has it somewhere. That show was the best.

Since my mom accidentally brought creamed corn instead of regular corn for a recipe she wanted to make on vacation a couple of years ago we've added an exchange between my mother and I from when she learns of her mistake. It involves my mother swearing a little and saying "that's not what I wanted!" It's hysterical. Can't you tell?

After the meal we sometimes play games, sometimes sit and peruse the sale flyers for shopping the next day and sometimes go see our beautifully decorated trees at the Festival of Trees.

There is always a lot of laughing. And eating. And maybe a little noise-making. But you didn't hear it from me.


This post was written for Parent Bloggers Network as part of a sweepstakes sponsored by Butterball.