Last Thanksgiving Day, Deborah King of Muncie spent the day relaxing in flannel pants and other comfortable clothing.
Her husband, Craig, and son, Michael, were busy in the kitchen cooking the holiday meal.
“It was fantastic,” she recalled. “They even came and asked me and the other women in the family if we wanted some coffee or something cold to drink while we were waiting.”
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Out of the kitchen came turkey, ham, stuffing, sweet potato casserole, greens, baked beans and various desserts. The feast was on, but not before Michael said Grace as the family stood and held hands.
The men had taken the helm in the kitchen when Deborah found herself barely able to walk because of Lupus disease and rheumatoid arthritis.
“I was just so proud of them,” she said. “They always come through for me at the most unexpected times. I think they did it better than I did. And they even cleaned up.”
This year, Michael and his fiancée, Regina Cox, will be making the meal at their house after Deborah volunteers with meals at the Feed My Sheep Thanksgiving Community Outreach at Central High School.
“In a year when so many have so few blessings, we have blessings we never expected,” she said. “Life is always going to throw us a curve ball, but there is always a blessing in it, somehow.”
Siblings play hosts
The five siblings in Micah Maxwell’s family have been giving their mother a break for about 10 years.
“Mom is still in charge of the menu, but we all share in making the food,” said the Muncie resident. “We then take turns having it at our houses. This has taken a lot of the pressure and responsibility off her.”
The family will have its holiday dinner after Thanksgiving at Nate Maxwell’s house in Carmel. Micah and others in his family will be busy volunteering at the Feed My Sheep Thanksgiving Community Outreach on Thanksgiving Day.
Their after-holiday menu will include turkey breast, pork tenderloin, garlic mashed potatoes, cornbread oyster dressing, green beans, spinach strawberry salad, cranberry relish, rolls and pumpkin pie.
“All of us have worked in the restaurant business, so we always try to mix the menu up a bit,” Micah said. “It’s not always traditional. In the past, we’ve had lamb or roast to add to the turkey.”
A joint effort
Kids like knowing they have made an important contribution to Thanksgiving dinner by helping to make the meal, according to Scott Hall, associate professor in the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences at Ball State University.
“At our house, we have our children each take charge of a dish,” he said, “like green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, stuffing or sweet potato casserole. My wife and I and others do the rest. The kids like making a difference and also learn cooperation and teamwork.”
In Sharen Unroe’s home in Albany, Thanksgiving dinner also is a joint effort.
“I take care of the turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes with gravy, sweet potatoes, cranberry salad and homemade yeast rolls,” she said. “My husband, Dennis, makes hash brown casserole, green beans seasoned with jowl bacon, deviled eggs and the most amazing sugar cream pies. He also carries in the extra table and chairs and helps get everything ready and set up before the rest of the family arrives.”