Assignment 14- Madison Underwood- A Nontraditional Thanksgiving

My parents separated when I was a baby, so growing up I've celebrated two of every holiday, and honestly, it's pretty awesome! Thanksgiving and Christmas benefit most from these circumstances, I see it as twice the food and twice the presents. My mom's side's Thanksgiving is more traditional, my aunt and uncle come over with all of their kids and some other extended family to eat the traditional turkey, stuffing, and cornucopia of other sides all cooked by my grandmother (who is an excellent cook and uses recipes past down from generation to generation in my family). The next day I go to my dad's house. I do most of the cooking at my dad's, which is great because there is only three of us (my dad, my grandma, and me) and this means I get to cook whatever I want. I'm not a huge turkey fan so we usually make a ham and my favorite sides to make include baked pineapple, homemade mashed potatoes, corn pudding, and sweet potato casserole. While I love aspects of both Thanksgivings, what I value the most is the time we get to spend together. I don't get to see my dad as much as I would like, so going to his house for a full day always brings the whole family joy. With this said, my mom's side of the family is always busy and rarely does every cousin get to see each other at once. Thanksgiving is a time for us to laugh together without the worries of going to practice or doing homework, and this tradition of family time is the most important tradition to uphold every Thanksgiving.