Happiness is....

....Thanksgiving with family.  Sometimes in life we get lucky and are blessed with a great family.  My parents are better to me than I deserve and for that, I am seriously lucky.  But sometimes we really hit jackpot and have a great extended family.  Maybe even marry into a great family.  I'm not rich, but I definitely hit the mega millions with my whole family.  

Thanksgiving is one of those holidays where there are very few distractions.  Quite simply, we all gather around, my aunt says a beautiful grace, we dig into delicious food, and hang out.  There is football watching and lots of chatter but ultimately, we come together to eat and celebrate the sheer fact that we are all together.  The simplicity of Thanksgiving dinner is what makes it so special for me.  

This year I snapped a few pictures of my Aunt Jane's set up to share details of our Thanksgiving celebration.  My only complaint is that we don't do this more often. 

With a large party, my Aunt uses this as plans for seating and assigns tasks.  This way her already long list of things to do doesn't get longer.  Alan's task: carve the turkey!   

Beautiful decor 

 A theme drink!  This was a combination of cider, cranberry juice, and ginger ale - add vodka to make it a true cocktail.

 Alan in action

 My Aunt added cranberries to the plate of turkey.  The additional color has a beautiful effect. 

Granddaddy Doc and Mam Maw 

  After dinner tea and coffee - love the use of a tray for this plus the silver for cream and sugar.