Thanksgiving Tradition

While I'm sitting here waiting for DH's parents to arrive, I am also waiting for the radio to play "Alice's Restaurant" at noon. It isn't Thanksgiving without it!

In case you miss hearing it on your own radio, here is a link to Arlo Guthrie singing "Alice's Restaurant" at the Guthrie Center in 2005. I guess his performances are copyrighted because there is no embed code provided.

Over at Firedog Lake they posted the scene from the movie which shows Arlo about 40 years younger than he is in this video. It gets better with every year he performs it.

We've gone to see Arlo several times and have seen him perform "Alice" in person. There's nothing like going to one of his concerts - it's not just the music, it's the stories he tells, that make them so memorable.

The most amazing concert we went to was at Carnegie Hall a few years ago for his "Arlo and Friends" Thanksgiving concert. Not only did he perform, but the remaining members of the Weavers, including Pete Seeger, performed, as did Peter, Paul and Mary, Richie Havens, and a plethora of other folk music greats.

If I were making up a new list of things I've done in my life, I'd add "Seeing Arlo Guthrie perform 'Alice's Restaurant' in person" to the list.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, everyone!

Stuffed

The Whole Foods turkey experience was a success. Everything hit the spot and we have lots of yummy leftovers. The apple pie was great, and my mother also brought a mince pie because her family "always had mince pie on Thanksgiving."

That is the thing about these holidays - the traditions. You have to have what was traditional in your family. Of course, each family has different traditions and sometimes compromises must be made. We didn't have the baked acorn squash this year (Whole Foods didn't offer that) but we did have the mince pie.

And at Christmas we have to have the plum pudding with hard sauce that you light on fire with 100 proof rum. (We used to use brandy but it didn't light up easily enough, not being 100 proof).

One of the traditions in our family is, my mother always has to tell the story of how, back in her childhood, her mother used to have 20+ people at their house for Thanksgiving. And one year her grandmother made the mistake of picking my mother's Uncle Bob to say grace before the meal.

Uncle Bob was my grandmother's youngest brother and he was somewhat of a card - the family mischief-maker. So, imagine the reaction of this group of 20 pious New England Congregationalists, heads all bowed in prayer, when Uncle Bob came out with:

"Good bread, good meat!
Good God, let's eat!"

Since my mother has told this story so many times I enjoy saying this particular prayer before dinner myself. It kind of sums it up, don't you think?