A Very Bruder Thanksgiving

I have 30 people descending upon my house tomorrow.  7 of which will stay the weekend, meaning 11 in my home total, plus hosting all those additional people.

Its a Very Bruder Thanksgiving.

That's my mom's maiden name...Bruder.  And I LOVE being a Bruder. 

Tall, tough, Dutch/German stock.  Blond hair (with a few of us rare brunette exceptions), blue eyes, big feet, love of adventure, game for anything, ready to laugh, fabulous sense of humor.

Two years ago, I invited my sister's family and my parents up from Florida for Thanksgiving.  The natural question was, "Well, why not include the Atlanta Bruders?"  The next natural question was, "Well, won't the Virginia and Michigan Bruders feel left out?"

That's another Bruder trait...we do EVERYTHING together.  No one has a headache and stays home.  No one decided they don't like sledding and would rather stay back and watch TV.  No.  One.  Ever.

Last year we all departed for our in-law's families.  This year I wondered what would happen.  I didn't want to force Bruders to drive 12 hours North and South to converge on Atlanta.  But, sure enough, the emails and calls came and just like that, a tradition is born!

That's another Bruder trait...we LOVE tradition.  We can smell a tradition a mile away.  Someone may try something new...like, introducing a new board game.  Fine, we had fun.  But there is something inherent in each of us that just knows when we will do something repeatedly for the rest of our lives.

I have fine china and beautiful silver.  They serve 12.  I don't feel like deciding which of my relatives are Silver Relatives and which ones are Plastic Relatives.

I also need four tables because I insist that we all eat together.  However, 4 table's worth of fine linen I have not.  So, we are going all out cheese-fest with the paper table clothes festooned with brown and orange turkeys...that same pattern repeated on every plate, cup, napkin...everything but the plastic ware.

All the Atlanta Bruders will bring the fixins while I provide two turkeys.  With so many of us, there will be no china platters and silver servings spoons.  Just a  kitchen counter crammed with food and lots of mismatched pyrex dishes. 

The thought of it makes me want to cry.  Not of shame, but of total love for my family.

That's another Bruder trait...we just want to be together.  There are never any pretenses.  There are 2-liters of pop (soda...coke...), and red plastic cups and laughter and love and that unspoken, visceral sense of security that comes from knowing you will always be loved by four generations of people, no matter what.

And that those people are the most wonderful people on the planet.

Whether its just your family and your finest silver or a friendly get together with neighbors, have a beautiful Thanksgiving!  The Bruders will :)