New ways, Old traditions

Good morning and Happy Holidays! Thanksgiving has come and gone, as well as Black Friday. Hope you scored some good deals! This year I celebrated Thankgiving more differently than I ever have before. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday to celebrate with my family and I couldn’t do that.

Every year I join my mom, aunt and grandmother the night before Thanksgiving to bake a whole bunch of pies. Pecan pies to be exact and over the years others like key lime and berry. My grandma started making the berry pie because I love mixed berries. Since I moved to Florida, I realized how special that time was spending with my family. Baking pies is a tradition I hope to carry on even from a distance.

This year I baked a maple pecan pie for a Thanksgiving dinner with friends. I also made stuffing just like my grandma makes and mashed potatoes! My friend cooked a honey ham, sweet potato casserole and green bean casserole. The whole table spread was beautiful and brought joy to my heart. It was a very proud moment for all of us to make something so beautiful in these difficult times. The night was really fun. The food was deliscious food and I was in good company. After dinner we even played a game together with lots of shouting and laughing. I’ve shared the pie recipe in the picture as it is now a favorite recipe! My friend and I loved the pie.

Travelling home this year was out of the question. I hoped the state of the world would be better by the holidays but it just hasn’t happen. It bums me out that I can’t see my parents, especially my mom. This is the longest I’ve gone not seeing them in person. I wanted nothing more than to go home to Connecticut but there are too many travel restrictions and procedures. I can’t take the time off in order to quarantine, not to mention I’d need to get tested days prior to travelling.

I will continue to hope that things will eventually get better. I recommend and encourage people to wear a mask, wash their hands, and social distance themselves when possible. I also will say that please be mindful and aware of your actions. What you do, where you go, and how you act may impact more people than you think. Everyone deserve to live happily and healthy. Thank you for joining me this morning and I wish you all well. Have a great rest of your Saturday!