Thanksgiving Competition: And the winner is…

Last week, we asked you to share your favorite Thanksgiving memories with us.

We received many touching stories about how you remember celebrating Thanksgiving in the past.

Congratulations to Randy De La O, winner of a new Kindle!

We loved what you wrote about your favorite Thanksgiving memory :

Years ago, sometime in the mid-late 1960s. My mother came home from grocery shopping. She had bought all the food needed for our Thanksgiving dinner which would be coming up in a few days. She mentioned to my father that she had bought a turkey, but it was too big for her to carry. It was paid for and they were holding it for her. It just needed to be picked up. My father agreed to go and off he went to pick up the turkey.

He pulled up into the Von’s Market, in Pico Rivera, on the corner of Passons Blvd. and Washington Blvd. (in Los Angeles, California) went back to the meat section and told the guy that he was here to pick up the turkey that his wife had bought.

“No problem, sir, let me get the list.” A few minutes later he came back and asked my father, “What’s her name?” My father told him and he looks up and down the list and tells my father, “Her name is not on the list.” Well, my father says something to the effect of, “You better look again because it was bought and paid for.” The guy goes in the back and comes out and tells my dad “I’m sorry sir, there’s nothing I can do.”

My father was not one to get discouraged so he kept at it. He insisted and the butcher resisted, and on and on it went. It was getting close to a fist fight. The manager became in involved and there was a lot of commotion. Finally, frustrated and at his wits end, the butcher goes into the back, returns with a large turkey, puts it in my dad’s hands.

When he got home he tells my mother everything that had happened at the market. “Wow, I wonder what his problem was?” She said. “I told him you were coming to get the turkey!!” On and on they went until my father said that they weren’t shopping at Von’s any more. He was still pretty upset about everything. “Von’s!” my mother said, “What were you doing at Von’s, I bought the turkey at Super A!”

My dad was so mad his veins were popping out. “But you said Von’s! “No, I didn’t, I said Super A!” That argument went unresolved to my father’s dying day. Each one believed the other made a mistake that day. I can tell you this, after my father calmed down we laughed ’til it hurt!

My mother went by herself to Super A to pick up the turkey. She wasn’t about to ask my father again. Turns out she was strong enough to carry it after all. That Christmas we had a very nice turkey dinner.

I hope you all have a nice Thanksgiving and remember, whatever goes wrong, I guarantee you, you’ll laugh about it some day! Happy Thanksgiving!

Here are some of our other favorites:

Mary Hill:

I had my firstborn on this day. One of my greatest blessings.

Patricia Braden Chavarin

After being stationed in England for six years, my brother, his English bride Maureen and their children came back stateside. For Maureen’s first Thanksgiving in 1972, my mom dressed her as a Pilgrim. She was our guest of honor.

Jean Goodrich

One Thanksgiving I was headed to my parents in New Mexico from Seattle, Washington. My aunt was meeting me in El Paso, driving from Phoenix. I was to arrive at 4pm. The plane was delayed several hours and then, due to a storm, we flew to Atlanta to go around it. I finally got to El Paso,Texas at 12:30am. We finally got to bed by 2am after finding out my luggage was lost! We had decided we were not making the three-hour drive to my parents until morning. Well, our fun was not over! There was a party going on and someone decided to pull the fire alarm at 3am. We had just fallen asleep and then had to walk down seven flights of stairs!! All the guests were standing in front of the hotel. I took my aunt and commandeered the airport shuttle, laid down and waited an hour for the all clear. It was quite a start to our Thanksgiving. No fire! Well, we got back to bed and decided to sleep through breakfast at the parents and arrive in time for the festivities. Everything else went fine and I even got my luggage delivered the next day. It was a very memorable Thanksgiving and – even with all the crazy things that happened – it was a good time with my aunt and family and it has given us many laughs. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

Thank you to everyone for entering.

We hope that you had a nice holiday weekend with your family!