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| Our family gathered on Louis and Anna's front porch. |
While
I was growing up the tradition in our family was that Mom and Aunt Marge shared
responsibility for hosting Thanksgiving dinner, and whoever did not host would
then be responsible for hosting that year’s Christmas dinner. It worked out
well for decades. Both celebrations always included three generations of our
combined families. Occasionally, someone would be added like Marge’s parents or
a current boyfriend.
From
reading mom’s diaries, I learned that when she was a girl, she and her parents
typically had Thanksgiving dinner with Gramma’s brother’s family Henry Menge, so
mom was with a gaggle of her female cousins. In 1933 they all went to Henry’s cabin
in Ben Lomond for Thanksgiving dinner. They were with the Menges again in 1936.
That year mom and her cousins strategized about how to convince Martin McTigue
to take mom to the senior ball.
Dinner
was at the Menges again in 1938 but by then Mom had met Dad so after dinner the
two of them went to San Francisco with some friends. Anna and Louis hosted in
1939 and included Emma and John Thornally at their table since Mom and Dad were
engaged to be married by then.
1940
was the first time Mom hosted Thanksgiving dinner. She planned it well ahead
because on November 13th she wrote that she had asked her mother to
help her prepare the meal. Afterward, she noted that dinner was fine. The following
year Marge offered to host the combined family at her parent’s home and she
asked everyone to contribute $2 towards the meal. In 1942 Anna Pattillo hosted.
Emma Thornally had the honor in 1944 and served a roast chicken!
The
last diary entry about Thanksgiving was for 1946. That year Marge offered again
to host at her family home but the ante was only $1. Despite the reduced
charge, Mom was fed up and refused to attend, and instead she decided to host
her own dinner and invited the Pattillos who declined saying they felt they
should accept the earlier invitation from Marge.
I started hosting Thanksgiving dinner at my home in 1977.
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