Thanksgiving Leftovers

I hope everyone in the U.S. who reads us here had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We here at 4F, 1H are talking about Thanksgiving traditions this week , and since I am the Friday Fox, and so my post falls the day after Thanksgiving, I will go for after Thanksgiving traditions, and there are many.

When we still had my mother with us, we would always go to her place not only for Thanksgiving, but the following day.

As Mom got older, I took more and more to the feast, but her touch with food was a marvel, and my husband could not resist a second chance at her turkey, trimmings and desserts.

People who did not generally like turkey would eat Mom’s, and no matter how good my food may have become,( I became a professional cook and made money at it), I simply couldn’t beat hers.(I had to branch out to candies, fancy cakes and different specialties for my ego’s sake!)

My husband, a “cradle Catholic” and former seminarian, would prefer to continue ‘meatless Fridays’ even when it isn’t during Lent, but came the Friday after Thanksgiving Thursday, Mom’s turkey and giblet dressing were consumed in great quantities by him. He can pack away quite a bit for an average-size man.

For some years we gathered with my sister, her daughters and my brother even after Mom left us. I would take some foods, but I left most of the cooking to my nieces. One would come in from a nearby city the night before and the girls would cook up a storm. More than one person has wanted to out-right drink their gravy…me, included!

Depending on the logistics and work schedules, my sons may come to my house for leftovers on the day after Thanksgiving. If we have out-of-town guests, I try to add other foods or convert some of the leftovers in some way. It looks like it may be just me and my husband this year over the weekend, so I will be VERY creative in using the leftovers. He doesn’t get tired of them, but by Saturday, I will. Boy, will I.

I keep the Fall decorations up for several days after Thanksgiving: the Autumn leaves, dried flower displays, pumpkins, turkeys and scarecrows. But I will now allow the Christmas music to start. A regional radio station starts them going 24/7 when it is still October. Now, I’m really only now ready to hear them and hear them all, from old hymns to newer songs, religious to secular, touching or funny, on Thanksgiving evening.

By the way, did you know that there are TWO versions of the song ,”Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”? One was published in 1943 and made famous in the 1944 movie, “Meet Me in St. Louis”. The words are sad, of missing loved ones and expecting better the next year. It was extremely popular with the Service personnel and their loved ones during World War Two; it spoke to their heartache and hopes that their troubles would be ‘miles away’ and that all would be together by the following year.

Legend has it that in 1957 Frank Sinatra requested a happier version of the song for his upcoming Christmas album, and so some changes were made. I was just watched a very popular, star-filled, recent movie that took place during WWII and they played the second version of the song. I know that there is a crew member on staff of all movies who are supposed to watch for inaccuracies such as this. (You blew it, Fella.)

But with that, I leave you with both versions and let you hear why one was so meaningful during The War, (as my parents and their generation referred to WWII), and why it was nice to hear a lighter-hearted version when it was all past.

I hope you have a merry little Christmas and holiday season!