Thanksgiving 2020

In Washington, our governor reinstated restrictions during November and December and asked people to limit contact with people outside their households, especially indoors and for large holiday dinners. We believe thanksgiving is a condition in our hearts more than the size of a gathering, so we stayed home and enjoyed a day of rest and connection as a family.

We started the day with our annual Turkey Trot. Er, walk. We normally meet up with more neighbors, but this year we simply invited everyone to leave their homes at the same time and walk the loop together, waving at each other as we passed. Grandma and Grandpa Cole and Grandma Keene joined us too.

Jim had to work on Thanksgiving, but one blessing with staying home was that we were able to eat at a “normal” dinner time all together when he got home at 6 PM instead of eating without him in the middle of the afternoon, which the kids think is so weird.

Another blessing was that we got to bless a local business by ordering Thanksgiving dinner. I picked up turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, dressing, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, gravy, rolls, pumpkin honey butter, and apple creme dessert from The Grey House on Wednesday – two meals, one for us and one for Grandpa and Grandma Keene. The kids and I made an apple pie on Wednesday, and I made a chocolate cream pie. On Thursday morning, Haley made iced pumpkin cookies and JT made homemade mac & cheese. We delivered some pie, cookies, and mac & cheese to Grandma Keene to include in her meal, and she gave us wine and orange salad.

On Thursday, the kids and I lounged around. We walked the dog, played games, and watched a movie. At 5 PM, I put the food in the oven to warm and set a pretty table for four. At 6 PM, Jim walked in and we sat and ate together until we were positively stuffed. The food was delicious! Then we took another walk, ate dessert, and tucked Jim into bed for the night. The kids and I finished the day by finishing our College Jeopardy series.