Echo staff reflects on Thanksgiving

Chandler Chastain

“My favorite thing about Thanksgiving–or really any holiday at my house, is “orange stuff.” It sounds so weird, and honestly it is, but it’s a food dish that I just can’t live without. I can’t give away the recipe–it’s a family secret, and if I told you what was in it, no one would try it anyway. Basically it’s one of those weird congealed salads only grandmas know how it make, and it is so good.”

Rachel Britt

“Every thanksgiving eve, my father starts marinating the turkey. I stay up late with him, and we talk and catch up. Then I always know it’s thanksgiving day when I wake up at five in the morning to my father singing and whistling while checking on the turkey. I know this tradition is arbitrary to some, but this is a memory I hold so dear in my heart. I’m so thankful for my family and the time we get to spend with each other during the holidays.”

Mr. Trevathan

“I love going for a walk after the meal, preferably somewhere remote on a trail. My favorite in Kentucky is a two-mile hike that circles Hematite Lake in Land Between the Lakes. Sometimes nieces and nephews go along, but I like it just as well whether it’s solo or with company, human or canine.”

Adam Brown

“I always go up to my grandparent’s house for Thanksgiving, in Church Hill, Tenn. The best part
about going to their place is that the drive over there is usually extremely beautiful since the leaves are changing, and they live pretty deep in the country. The food is great too–there’s either a ham or a turkey, my grandfather will always make homemade dinner rolls, and everyone just has a great time getting together and reminiscing over the events of the year.”

Destiny Ditmore

“Each year I look forward to Thanksgiving because it is a time when my entire family comes together. One of my favorite traditions is when we flip through old photo albums and laugh about our craziest memories. I love listening to the stories of my 80-year-old grandfather all the way down to my youngest, eight-year old cousin. This tradition is something that I hope will continue for many years to come.”

David Peters

“I never cared about “Hallmark Holidays.” The push to consume more product seemed too commercial and less sentimental. I never respected the way Native Americans got treated, and so I often felt shameful during Thanksgiving. Over the years, my feelings changed about this time of year. Now, I will take any and every chance I get to cook for my family, to sit down together and have a great laugh. Living in Tennessee means I get spend holidays with my brother, his wife and their children. Amid busy lives I’m glad we have the day off to spend with each other. The aftermath of a large meal cooked always leaves the kitchen a mess, and I love that too because it means we feasted, we celebrated. For these moments, I will always be thankful.”

Allison Franklin

“For me, Thanksgiving is synonymous with my grandmother’s homemade yeast rolls. At noon on
Thanksgiving day, my immediate family always gathers at my grandmother’s home to feast on the food she woke up in the wee hours of the morning to prepare. This holiday is representative of the wall of warmth that I walk into as soon as I open the door to my grandmother’s house. Though she always bakes a turkey, mashed potatoes from her own summer garden, and makes other traditional dishes such as deviled eggs and green bean casserole, she is always most proud of the steaming rolls that are always the perfect shade of golden brown.”

Nadia Marrero-Silva

“I can’t remember the last time I felt “in the holiday spirit,” and this year is no different. Thanksgiving brings food that I don’t typically eat during any other part of the year, and that’s about as far as the holiday goes for me. My family doesn’t really do holiday traditions anymore – not since way before when I was a much, much younger kid. Those are days I don’t remember. We just kind of sit down, eat and then resume our normal activities.”

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