In my family, if we have done it more than once we like to call it a tradition. (At least the good stuff!) In a family with more than 30 J names, we stick to traditions and continue to add to them. I hope to pass many of these traditions on to my daughter (even the tradition of creating traditions), but some of our Thanksgiving traditions are the most important.
The number one tradition that I have already passed on to my daughter, is Thanksgiving at The Ranch. My Aunt’s family owns a cattle ranch in north Florida and my family has spent our Thanksgivings at The Ranch since I was small enough to be bathed in the porch sink. After nearly 30 Thanksgivings at The Ranch, I can’t imagine another way to spend the holiday. To me, Thanksgiving is The Ranch, and I can’t wait to take my daughter to her 2nd Thanksgiving at The Ranch.
The second tradition I look forward to passing down are family recipes. As I have admitted before, I am not a cook, but there are certain recipes – like Granny’s Dip – that hold special meaning for me. Making sure my Granny’s Dip is ever present at our family festivities is important not only to my taste buds, but to my family’s too!
Finally, the tradition of the more the merrier! One of the best parts about Thanksgiving at The Ranch is that everyone is invited. Some years it is small with just the core of us, other years there have been more than 50 people in attendance. Since everything is potluck and mostly outside, bring a lawn chair and some food and join in the fun. I love that my family has no boundaries on a guest list. While it can make people crazy… us “kids” love it!
I’d love to hear about your traditions!
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