Thanksgiving Traditions

People always ask if we have Thanksgiving traditions. As a military family, it's really difficult to answer that question, because our lives drastically change from year to year.

For example, our first year in Hawaii we were lucky enough to be together. I had so much fun experimenting with new Thanksgiving dishes, utilizing the local produce. The purple Okinawan sweet potatoes were so beautiful and vibrant, and I used them to make sweet potato pie and casserole. Not the traditional orange stuff. Instead of making pecan pie, I substituted macadamia nuts. Yummmm.

The next year, Mitch was in Iraq. So we were invited to share Thanksgiving with our good friends, the Serraos, and their family. It was one of my most favorite Thanksgivings. I brought over some of the local New England favorites like mashed carrots and turnips and my grandmother's cranberry salad. It was great to share my traditions with them.

Our final year in Hawaii, Mitch had just returned home from Iraq, and we decided to spend Thanksgiving at the Hilton Waikoloa Village on the Big Island. We spent the day before Thanksgiving exploring the Volcano National Park, and then stopped at Costco. The next day we enjoyed rotisserie chicken, stuffing, cranberry sauce, rolls, salad, fresh pineapple, and pumpkin pie in our hotel room....followed by mai tais by the pool.

I don't know if we have any true traditions, or things that we do the same year after year. Some years we have traveled to be with Mitch's family. Some years we have invited single Soldiers over, or hosted friends and relatives. Other years, like this one, we have preferred to stay home and keep things small. I'd like to think we simply try to make the most of the day on that particular year, wherever we may live, and with whomever we are blessed to be with.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you! Make the most of it!