Thanksgiving traditions

Thanksgiving is in 2 short weeks and this year I will be hosting dinner for the first time. When I volunteered to host, I'm not sure I knew what I was getting into. There is so much planning that goes into a menu for one day of eating.

Traditions are important to people, whether it's watching the special programs on tv, doing family activities, or preparing the Thanksgiving dinner a certain way, we all have a reason Thanksgiving is special to us.

My Thanksgiving dinner is open to anyone needing a place to go. With this open invitation, I started getting some insight on what traditions people might be expecting to have at this dinner.

Here are some of the requests:

Turkey

Because it's my first time cooking dinner, my parents volunteered to take care of the turkey, because they have coupons, or have a secret recipe. I think it's because they don't trust me.

Strawberry Jello with pineapple

What started as a small bowl of Jello with dinner soon turned into a giant bowl. My brother initiated his own personal tradition of eating half the bowl before dinner was served.

Collard Greens and Mac and Cheese

A tradition for a friend who is from Ohio. He thought I was crazy when I said I've never had mac and cheese on Thanksgiving.

Stuffed Celery

Cream cheese and beef bouillon scooped into celery. A friend from Boston said she was in charge of making this every year to please her Grandmother's wishes.

Since this Thanksgiving dinner is a combination of family, friends, significant others, and any other person that just needs a place to go, I have decided to provide most of the essentials and leave the other dishes up to the people requesting them. I'll be excited to see what shows up to the table!