Fanksgiving Part 1

I know you have all been *dying* to hear all about Fanksgiving....So, here it is, part one in a two part series.

Russ and I arrived mid afternoon to chill out with Russ' parents, his sister and brother in law and their dear friend Greg. The thing about the beach house (where Fanksgiving is held every year, and where we spend many weekends) is that as soon as you walk in, or, as soon as I walk in, I am instantly relaxed. Something about the ocean right out the window, and the house that has been in the family for years and years and is the center of so many stories, and the fridge and pantry that is always stocked with exactly what you want to eat, and the bed parked right in front of the T.V. with a collection of DVD's, and the trashy magazines scattered throughout the house that you can pick up and flip through....something about all of this and more makes you instantly at ease. So, we walk in, organize some of the appetizers we brought and instantly went about chilling out and catching up.

The other guests started to arrive, and we settled into our predictable routines. The women did some fantastic crafts, organized by my amazingly creative sister in law. While the men settled in to enjoy some other, less creative, pursuits:

What's Thanksgiving (real or fake) without football and beer, right?

Once my parents arrived, my father began a wine tasting, with one of the wines being an award winner (first place even)! He wouldn't tell which one it was though, and interestingly, I don't think anyone guessed it!

Once dinner was ready, we all gathered around the table:

And tucked in to do some serious eating. Turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, sweet potatoes, pineapple bake, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, breads, salad....And I'm not even talking about dessert! For dessert there was pumpkin loaf, homemade apple pie, homemade pear pie and homemade ice cream pie (honey walnut and mint chocolate chip both made by my honey). There was enough food to feed a small army, and although we made a sizable dent, there were still plenty of leftovers for us to bring home the next day!

Dinner ended and we gathered together for the Yankee Swap. I had never heard of this before I met my husband, but it is now one of my all time favorite traditions. My father, a die hard Yankees fan, unwrapped a Red Sox World Champions t-shirt, much to the enjoyment of the crowd. (I have pictures from the Yankee swap that I'll share in part 2, since I don't have my USB drive to connect my camera, the pictures in this post are from my mother in law).

Yankee swap ended, some said their goodbyes and the rest of us changed into cozy clothes and got comfy on the couch to watch some movies.

All in all, it was a fantastic day filled with good food, loved ones and laughter.

Happy Fanksgiving to all!