What are some of your favorite Thanksgiving memories/traditions when you were growing up?

[BillsPride12]

Things that stand out to me:

 

-Turkey Bowl football games in the morning(if there was Snow it was a Bonus)

-One of my best friends from childhood had Family in Ohio and they always went there for Thanksgiving; as a kid I was always jealous because it seemed exciting lol but then by the time we were in middle school we had gotten into fireworks and those Ohio thanksgiving trips took on a whole new meaning as he could bring me back some bottle rockets and firecrackers to NY

-After the Thanksgiving dinner had wrapped up, my Grandmother(RIP) bringing out the Sears and JC Penny Christmas catalogs and asking the kids to circle the items we wanted for Christmas that year; it was awesome knowing at that time Christmas was officially on!

-I was a WWF fanatic as a kid so watching Survivor Series(which took place on Thanksgiving night or Thanksgiving Eve back then) was a must

 

 

[Augie]

My father bet me $10 I couldn’t eat everything on my plate. GAME ON! That $10 was a fortune to this young kid! 

 

This is the holiday where eating disorders are born! 😂 

 

Oh, and it’s about time the Lions got good, because their second rate football on Thanksgiving got old decades ago! 

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

1. Run the Turkey Trot.

2. Watch the Buffalo Public HS championship game.  Generally held at All High Stadium, telecast on Channel 17.  Generally a mud bowl by game's end.

3. Thanksgiving dinner at my parents' home.

[Gugny]

My friends and I always played Smear the Q.ueer on Thanksgiving morning. 
 

Edited November 23, 2023 by Gugny

[Augie]

9 hours ago, Gugny said:

My friends and I always played Smear the Q.ueer on Thanksgiving morning. 
 

 

I believe the current environment dictates that we now call that “Giving Him the Gugny”.     😋

 

 

.

Edited November 24, 2023 by Augie

[mead107]

Think about eating rain deer for Christmas and rabbits for Easter. 
Woodchuck on ground hog day
trout on Memorial Day 

skunk 🦨 on 4th of July 

beaver 🦫 chili on Bills opening day 

a witch 🧙‍♀️ on Halloween 👻 

who wants to be my witch this coming year??? 

 

[muppy]

on Thanksgiving my mom always made fresh squash. She would boil it after peeling and mash it up . A somewhat looser consistency than potatoes but equally delicious. a WNY staple crop.

[Bills4everNY]

Watching "King Kong" then "Mighty  Joe Young", which was shown every Thanksgiving day on one of the NY City channels on cable TV. 

[Bad Things]

My favorite memories are simply just remembering family.

It's been a long time since I moved away from home and now just about all of my NY family have passed.

 

My parents were German immigrants and they, along with our other extended German/American family made every holiday feel special.

They were old-school people that hearkened back to a different era, and fully embraced American Thanksgiving.

 

I especially think about my parents and my Oma, and the struggles that they went through to escape East Germany to begin a new life in America.

For our family, Thanksgiving was always a time to reflect and truly give thanks for what we all had.

 

And boy, could those old German women cook!

The amount of food that they made was insane.

 

I hope you all have a great holiday up there.

 

Go Bills.

[Augie]

3 hours ago, Bad Things said:

My favorite memories are simply just remembering family.

It's been a long time since I moved away from home and now just about all of my NY family have passed.

 

My parents were German immigrants and they, along with our other extended German/American family made every holiday feel special.

They were old-school people that hearkened back to a different era, and fully embraced American Thanksgiving.

 

I especially think about my parents and my Oma, and the struggles that they went through to escape East Germany to begin a new life in America.

For our family, Thanksgiving was always a time to reflect and truly give thanks for what we all had.

 

And boy, could those old German women cook!

The amount of food that they made was insane.

 

I hope you all have a great holiday up there.

 

Go Bills.

 

Along those lines, I have a new favorite memory today. We had about 20 people, including our 1 year old granddaughter, our 10 year old grandson and my mother who will turn 96 tomorrow. Four generations plus some great friends. I’m thankful for my family and some very dear friends who have been with us for Thanksgiving for a decade or two. Some friends are just like family, or better. These people we go way back with and they visit my mom every Sunday at the nursing home. It’s not THEIR mom, but they are true friends. Amazing. 

 

We are very thankful for these special people in our lives. 

 

 

.

Edited November 24, 2023 by Augie

[djp14150]

23 hours ago, Gugny said:

My friends and I always played Smear the Q.ueer on Thanksgiving morning. 
 

I missed that one growing up…..

 

 

 

[djp14150]

23 hours ago, BillsPride12 said:

Things that stand out to me:

 

-Turkey Bowl football games in the morning(if there was Snow it was a Bonus)

-One of my best friends from childhood had Family in Ohio and they always went there for Thanksgiving; as a kid I was always jealous because it seemed exciting lol but then by the time we were in middle school we had gotten into fireworks and those Ohio thanksgiving trips took on a whole new meaning as he could bring me back some bottle rockets and firecrackers to NY

-After the Thanksgiving dinner had wrapped up, my Grandmother(RIP) bringing out the Sears and JC Penny Christmas catalogs and asking the kids to circle the items we wanted for Christmas that year; it was awesome knowing at that time Christmas was officially on!

-I was a WWF fanatic as a kid so watching Survivor Series(which took place on Thanksgiving night or Thanksgiving Eve back then) was a must

 

 

 

I remember actually looking at ads on thxgvg for sales.

 

My parents were the hosts of thxgvg.  They would do the Turkey and the old school stuffing of sticking it in the bird.  My dads sister and their mom ( and her husband when she was married) would come over for the day.  Usually after dinner other relatives would come over ( usually my dads aunt,her son,  her daughter and her son)for dessert.

 

my birthday can be close to thxgvg so my birthday would usually be done on thxgvg because my parents didn’t want to host people on Sunday and then on Thursday.  The other reason this was done was because my older brother was away at college and then when I went to college I’d come home on thxgvg.

 

When my brother started dating his wife he’d do a split thxgvg. Her family usually ate early (1pm) at different places in buffalo area where it rotated among relatives.  Then they would come to my parents around 630. My mom would save hime some stuffing and some Turkey they might eat then or take back to his place.

 

desert would be my birthday cake, my parents would have made an apple pie and a pumpkin pie( usually store bought)

 

 

 

 

[WhoTom]

23 hours ago, Gugny said:

My friends and I always played Smear the Q.ueer on Thanksgiving morning. 
 

 

We usually called it "Kill the Carrier." But your term came up now and then too.

 

 

[Gugny]

Just now, WhoTom said:

 

We usually called it "Kill the Carrier." But your term came up now and then too.

 

 

I doubt the STQ name is still used, which is a good thing. 
 

It’s definitely not the only inappropriately-named game we played in the late 70s/early 80s. 

[Augie]

8 minutes ago, WhoTom said:

 

We usually called it "Kill the Carrier." But your term came up now and then too.

 

 

 

Is this where “going postal” comes from? 

[Draconator]

This might explain me a bit better. Mom cooked for us every day, except Thanksgiving. She flat-out refused to cook on Thanksgiving. So we went to a buffet every year while growing up. 

[Another Fan]

My aunt always hosted in my family and it was kind of always on the more formal side.  Like I'd feel out of place not wearing a dress shirt tucked in with a belt.

 

 

Not really a lot of memories tbh.  Maybe my cousin and I going in his room and making fun of all our family as kids.  Until one day I sort of realized I became what I was making fun of 😐

[ExiledInIllinois]

On 11/23/2023 at 9:23 AM, Augie said:

Oh, and it’s about time the Lions got good, because their second rate football on Thanksgiving got old decades ago! 

Second rate football on Thanksgiving never goes out of style for the Detroit Lions! 😆 

[BuffaloBill]

I think just the crowd of people who gathered at my maternal grandparents home (not every year). There were individuals I called aunt and uncle as a kid who were not, by blood, in that status.  I was just told they were.

 

Card tables TV tables, people sitting and eating where ever they could.

 

Fun times. 

[Mike in Horseheads]

my mom telling us kids not to eat her fathers stuffing, "ya never know what he might put in it"

[BringBackFergy]

On 11/23/2023 at 4:19 PM, Bad Things said:

My favorite memories are simply just remembering family.

It's been a long time since I moved away from home and now just about all of my NY family have passed.

 

My parents were German immigrants and they, along with our other extended German/American family made every holiday feel special.

They were old-school people that hearkened back to a different era, and fully embraced American Thanksgiving.

 

I especially think about my parents and my Oma, and the struggles that they went through to escape East Germany to begin a new life in America.

For our family, Thanksgiving was always a time to reflect and truly give thanks for what we all had.

 

And boy, could those old German women cook!

The amount of food that they made was insane.

 

I hope you all have a great holiday up there.

 

Go Bills.

Shiller Park or the Fruit Belt? German grandparents on both sides of family. Cook good food and clean house. Immaculate. Type A/OCD bloodlines. 

[WhoTom]

Nuts.

 

No, I don't mean my family, although it would probably apply too.

 

A couple of hours after an early afternoon dinner, Mom would put out a few bowls of nuts - almonds, filberts, walnuts, Brazil nuts, and pecans - and some nutcrackers. Then she'd pull out the chestnuts. My older brother and I would pierce them before they went into the oven. We'd munch on the other nuts while the chestnuts were roasting. 

 

Also, when I was a teenager, my older brothers taught me how to play poker. Family gatherings often included a friendly nickel-and-dime game, usually featuring me, my two brothers, and my brother-in-law. On a rare occasion, Mom would sit in for a few hands. Dad never did, but I know he used to play poker when he was in the Navy. Even though I was a noob, they didn't take advantage of me. They even let me know when I had a "tell." For some unknown reason, that tradition faded and I haven't played poker since.

 

 

[Augie]

On 11/25/2023 at 3:37 PM, WhoTom said:

Nuts.

 

No, I don't mean my family, although it would probably apply too.

 

A couple of hours after an early afternoon dinner, Mom would put out a few bowls of nuts - almonds, filberts, walnuts, Brazil nuts, and pecans - and some nutcrackers. Then she'd pull out the chestnuts. My older brother and I would pierce them before they went into the oven. We'd munch on the other nuts while the chestnuts were roasting. 

 

Also, when I was a teenager, my older brothers taught me how to play poker. Family gatherings often included a friendly nickel-and-dime game, usually featuring me, my two brothers, and my brother-in-law. On a rare occasion, Mom would sit in for a few hands. Dad never did, but I know he used to play poker when he was in the Navy. Even though I was a noob, they didn't take advantage of me. They even let me know when I had a "tell." For some unknown reason, that tradition faded and I haven't played poker since.

 

 

 

My wife made a ton of pecans covered in melted butter and salt, then toasted in the oven for a while. We had leftovers with neighbors who dropped over for a glass of wine last night. None of us could stop eating them! My wife threw out what was leftover this morning to protect us from ourselves. How could something so simple be so good? 

 

She plans to make another batch as gifts for neighbors. The trick will be not eating them before they are delivered. 

 

 

.

Edited November 27, 2023 by Augie

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

Really bad cereal party mixes.

Who puts Raisin Bran in their party mix?! 🤨

[Joe Ferguson forever]

my niece lives in Raleigh.  We meet her, her husband and their two boys age 4 and 6 now, every year at the beach.  always happy memories....I bet that I'd swim in the ocean if the bills won last year on thanksgiving.  Cold but fun...broke a boogie board in the surf.

Edited November 27, 2023 by Joe Ferguson forever