Some holiday traditions come about in crazy or funny ways, but then they just stick. Some of them provide years of funny stories to tell to each new generation.
Does your family like to break the wishbone after the turkey is eaten? It is said that this tradition began many centuries ago in Italy and that the Pilgrims brought this tradition to the New World. That is a long time to keep a tradition going!
One time, my daughter and I were going to break the wishbone, and for some reason, she let go instead of pulling. I stumbled backward, and when I reached for the table to keep from falling, the wishbone hit the table and broke. We decided that it would mean good luck for everybody in our family, so now if the wishbone somehow gets broken before we can pull it apart, we determine it to be the best of luck. It’s silly, but it’s kind of fun waiting to see if we will end up with an intact wishbone.
I always fondly remember my mother-in-law at Thanksgiving for the story she used to tell about how she came to start giving the turkey a smack before cooking it. One year, things were really hectic, and she dropped the turkey on the floor as she was getting it ready. She had to cook it, so she washed it off, but she was so frustrated, she smacked it. She said it was the most tender turkey she ever made, so every year after that… SMACK!
My aunt used to have everyone over for Thanksgiving when I was younger, and her tradition was to make extra pie to eat before dinner. I have borrowed this idea if we plan on eating later than usual, and let me tell you, everybody likes this one!
Do you have any fun traditions? Maybe it’s time to make some new ones!
Happy Thanksgiving!
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