by Myra Symons-Kazanci

Created on: October 27, 2009

Organizing Thanksgiving is an honor and a duty worth doing. Of course you want a successful gathering. In the U.S. Thanksgiving is a national holiday with religious overtones. The puritans apparently had dinner with the Indigenous Americans who had helped them survive the winter. We have a feast to remind us of that day. This holiday along with all of our major family gatherings throughout the year is fraught with pitfalls. We can have trouble from the beginning to the end if we don't keep several things in mind.

I'd like to talk about tradition. This meal is traditional, yes, but what happens in one house is different from what happens in another. In some homes Turkey is the main dish; in others it may not even be served. I want to tell you that this is okay. You have to follow the tradition that is yours and works for your family. Just because great grandma did it that way doesn't mean we have to continue. For example, we used to use a lot of Butter and heavy cream. It's not so healthy for us, we might lighten things up. It's okay, our ancestors will forgive us. This is what our parents did. We make traditions first, and then we follow them.

The first step in Thanksgiving Celebration Preparation is to determine the guest list. Who are we inviting? Families differ and people's schedules vary from year to year. In our family in the old days we all gathered together every single holiday. But now we have to ask if they are coming to get a good count. Remember to include a couple of extra places for the last minute guests. We contact everyone by e-mail. It's old fashioned but we find we get better responses from the wives. Our boys just don't RSVP. If the men want to be liberated they will have to start RSVPing for themselves.

Once you have a head count, you can start to determine a venue. Do you want to eat at the home of a family member or eat out? I think it's perfectly acceptable to make reservations if that is what you want to do. This could be part of a new tradition for your family. There are great advantages in not setting up and cleaning up afterwards if you eat outside of the home. It does raise the cost a bit and that is a definite consideration. When times are rough we each bring something special to dinner. (Paper goods, side-dish, drinks, a pie.) That way no one in the family has to bear the entire cost.

If you are cooking yourself you will next need to set a menu. What is traditional at Thanksgiving in your family? It's completely up to you. Every

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