Thanksgiving, pt 1: The People

Ah, Thanksgiving. We hosted Thanksgiving this year, and it was such an event for us that I'm going to have to break it up into multiple posts to even attempt to present it here. So we'll start with the people.

The first crew began arriving on Wednesday afternoon, and the last vestiges are yet to leave (Loren returns to Tulsa on Wednesday). We had a maximum of 10 people lodged at our place at any one time, with the largest meal seating capping out at 13 people. In all, we fed or slept 15 people (and 2 dogs and 1 cat) over the course of 3.5 days. We pulled out the fancy dining room table and chairs passed down from Corinne's great-aunt Boom, and with all three leaves installed we always managed to fit everyone at the same table.

Between two futons, one queen airbed, one double airbed, one twin airbed, and one queen-size bed (ours!), we managed to sleep 10, with plenty of floor-space left. Boy, was our Great Room was worth its weight in gold. There were lots of different areas to settle in, and the high ceilings really helped it to feel open, even with a dozen people in it. Our piano, freshly tuned, got some use as well. And there was always a warming fire burning in the wood stove.

As for activities, we did whatever struck our fancy. We took several walks around the property; we slept in; Taryn had help making curtains for her new place; and we even got our ears & brows groomed. And Pete couldn't resist cleaning the cobwebs from the cathedral ceiling by hurling a wet washcloth into the air. He only got it stuck on the ceiling fan twice, but it was actually pretty effective.

Oh, and one last exciting activity: we cut our very own Christmas tree from our own stands! But that is another post...

Despite all of the work that hosting brings with it, we had a blast with everyone! Lots of great food (which will have its own post), games, friends, family, snow, trees. The holidays as they should be!

- Mike (& Corinne)