I learned this fun Thanksgiving song in school with my best friend in 1st grade and we still sing it at the table every Thanksgiving. (There are even hand motions and a little game that goes along with it!). You see, every Thanksgiving-and Christmas and Easter and 4th of July- my family gets together with my best friend’s family, the Hinrichs. I met Emily in 1st grade and we’ve pretty much grown up together ever since. Even our parents are best friends. I always love doing holidays with the Hinrichs. As an only child, I’m used to the house being very quiet and organized, yet when the holidays roll around and the Toffolons and Hinrichs get together, there is a total of 6 kids and 4 adults and it’s never quiet. Every year there is a ridiculous amount of amazing food like turkey, rolls, cheesy potatoes, olives (which Anna and I devour before they even make it to the table), salads, asparagus, and amazing desserts. We still usually sit at 2 separate tables, the adults table and the kids table. I’m not really sure if we’ll ever integrate, seeing as how the youngest “kid” at the kids table is 16 and the oldest is 22. Thanks to William, we also seem to have a tradition of burning rolls, beans, or even napkins over a candle. But regardless of the seperate tables, we have a blast and eat until we feel like we might pop. Next comes the the most fun part of the night.We’ve carried on a tradition that started many many many years ago. During any holiday gathering if you fall asleep on the couch or floor, you will get silly stringed. Us “kids” all run and grab cans of silly string (because what family of 7 doesn’t have silly string lying around?) and wake the person from their pleasant sleep. I’m fairly positive my dad has been the victim the past few years; you would think he would have learned his lesson by now, right? Anyways, after dinner the adults usually stay home and drink and clean while the kids go see a movie. With 3 boys and 3 girls and a range of ages, it can be pretty hard to decide on one movie, so sometimes we split into 2 groups. When the movie ends, everyone goes back to their own houses and I end up alone at my house. The quiet is always a surprise right after being with such a large group of people. I love my family, but it's in these moments that I really hate being an only child. These moments make me so thankful for our traditions. I love getting to be part of a bigger family for a day. I love spending time with the people I love. And I love the dependability of it all. I know that I have something to look forward to every year, and for that I am THANKFUL!
What are some of your holiday traditions? What are you thankful for?
The Hinrichs & Toffolons take on Charlotte
The Hinrichs and Toffolons take on Fort Fisher
The "kids table" (plus a few extra)
Some sleeping Hinrichs...
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