No fruitful information On the eve of winter comes November, reintroducing early evening, crisp air and leafless trees but, before the dormancy of winter sets in, the annual Thanksgiving holiday brings families and friends together to celebrate life with food. Common on most tables, turkey, stuffing, green bean casserole and pumpkin pie fill our stomachs and warm our hearts. Every Thanksgiving brings recognition of a year of change and this past Thanksgiving was no exception. As part of a family of eight children, I enjoy Thanksgiving with over 30 members and while many have come and gone, it seems a new face takes their place with a wedding or the birth of a child, always perpetuating the circle of life that is my family. Last Thanksgiving, we lost one member to death, but gained another through birth and another through marriage, thereby reducing kitchen space by one and adding an extra high chair to the table on the ground floor. Starting with meticulous organization of the basement, preparation for the extravaganza called Thanksgiving begins weeks before. Cobwebs, dusty floors and the refrigerator must be cleaned and miscellaneous objects exiled to the boiler room. The stairs are scrubbed, the bathroom is usually repainted and, because feeding thirty people generates...... middle of paper ...... positioning. After almost two hours, tradition dictates that the youngest, most capable member of the family enthusiastically engages in cleaning. Their responsibility to clear the tables of dirty dishes, empty glasses and used napkins is taken seriously by each participant. Good kitchen cleaning and proper “grandma-approved” dishwashing are supervised by the oldest, rarely over 25, and by the youngest, usually over ten. Large group card play takes place once all is well in the kitchen; leftovers are properly stored and/or packaged, extra dishes are moved, trash is taken out, and all tables are wiped down and stored. Only then, when the beer is cold, the coffee is hot and hassle-free access to a potential sandwich mix is ​​available alongside easily accessible snacks, does the showdown of the card game we call Tonk takes place..