Norman Rockwell’s pictures surpass everyone’s expectations of a warm, loving Thanksgiving. His paintings include a golden-brown succulent turkey made by grandma with love and placed on a platter handed down for generations as a delicious centerpiece. The table is always extended to accommodate the entire family including poor old uncle Joe, who is already slurring his words. Traditional holidays included a holly decorated hearth and the aroma of a hickory and pinecone fire which warmed the entire house. Everyone is gathered and impatient to say grace, sit down, and dig into the turkey. That may have been our past, but this is now!

 Our lives led us to the warmth of sunny Florida and often prevent us from being with family at Thanksgiving. We may miss Aunt Babe’s red cabbage, but we truly enjoy the savory recipes our new guests have brought, allowing a vastly different taste experience with recipes from all over the country. We have candles and decorations on the table, but our chairs are now graced with new and old Florida friends wearing shorts and flip flops. We are making new memories with new guests who make our holidays complete and special as our adopted Tanglewood family.

So, what if there are no roaring fires or decorated hearths, and we are not living in a Norman Rockwell Thanksgiving world? We have palm trees and sunshine! We can take our pecan pie up to the bash area and build a huge bonfire. We can hold hands under the stars and say our Thanksgiving grace together. We can thank God for our families, our old friends and our new friends, who graced us with their presence today! Happy Thanksgiving Tanglewood!