Our whole family gets together and eats! Everyone brings a
main course item, appitizer, dessert or drinks and we all get together at my sister
Nan's house. Last year and hopefully again this year, my sister who lives in
Arkansas came home with her daughter and we had about 4 days of non-stop
Thanksgiving togetherness. There are seven of us Buther kids and we took pictures
of all of us togeter. Hopefully them coming home from Arkansas is a new family
tradition. - Vicky McIntyre (Decatur, IN)

 When it comes to Turkey Time, that's what we do! EAT TURKEY and every kind of side dish and desert dish we can stuff into ourselves. Then we talk about what we can make with the leftovers. We watch football, hang-out and be thankful for each other's company, and if we can roll our over-stuffed selves out of bed in the morning, we'll go SHOPPING! I look forward to it every year. - Rayma Gonzalez (Decatur, IN)

 My parents are Mary and Leo King and I have 1 brother, Larry
and 2 sisters, Marsha and Linda, so we have a large family when we all get together.
 I love being with my family all times of the year, but especially at the Holidays.
We love to eat and never go away hungry, we have the traditional foods and the
non-tradional foods.  We all bring in food no matter whose home we gather at.  My
sister's and I take turns normally unless Mom wants to have it, then we go there.  I
love my family and am thankful to God that we are still able to get together, it is
hard to get all the family together as we all live away from Decatur now, but we
have so much fun when we do see each other.  The King family rocks! - Dianna Workinger (Greentown, IN)

 Thanksgiving- WOW-There's eight of us in the Vergara Family.
Some of us lived in town while others lived away. We would always gather at our
Mothers house (Elodia Vergara)with all the gradchildren and any friends that wanted
to join us. Everyone would bring an item wether it be a main dish or dessert. We
would walk in the warm house that was always decorated for fall with
pumpkins,scarecrows,floral arrangements, ect.,s. We always tried to be there before
noon since that was our goal to eat at noon!!!We all gathered in the Kitchen the
table was set with the turkey, rice, mash potatoes, gravey,corn, deviled eggs there
was never enough room to put all the extra items (but we managed). We said grace and
then of course we all stuffed our bellys. If we had relatives visiting from out of
state we would sit around the table afterwards with dessert and catch up. The guys
well what can I say they would play cards until the football game started and others
would take a short nap. Yes those were good old times. And now that I have moved to
Brownsville, Texas I have started the same tradition with my family. We would like
to wish Elodia Vergara and the entire Vergara clan a peaceful and bountiful
Thanksgiving. Missing you all Jose,Sandra,Jazmin,Jacqueline,Kassandra
Perez.,Brownsville,Texas. - Sandra Perez (Brownsville, TX)

For many years our families (Paul Von Gunten, Ronald Von
Gunten, Lee Von Gunten, and the Reinhards have been going to the home of Ruth and
Arland Reinhard located in Bluffton, IN for Thanksgiving Day.  It is always a great
time as we have some of the best eating you could possible have, and of course, the
telling of stories and events of the past.  It is a time of sharing and giving of
Thanks to God for His love for us and His wonderful blessings of the past year.  All
kinds of foods will be prepard by the ladies. Usually a ham dinner with mash
potatoes, green beans, gravy, corn, all kinds of salads and of course, plenty of
cakes and pies.  For many years this event was held at the home of my parents, Paul
and Kitty Von Guten, who lived for 50 years at 518 High Street in Berne, IN. For the
past two years they have lived at Swiss Village west of Berne. Yes, I remember the
wonderful times we had at my parents home back in the 1950's and 80'sthrough the late 1980's.  Things were different then, you could not buy groceries in Berne on
Sundays let alone by gas as all of these businesses were closed on Sundays. Perhaps
we as a nation could learn something from the ways of the past as we now live in a
fast pace society and can buy anything on Sundays. This Thanksgiving we will be
gathering at the home of Arland and Ruth Reinhard in Bluffton, and yes we will be
giving thanks for God's goodness and His sustaining grace to our families. I
believe it is time for our nation to remember where all of our blessing come from
and to Yes, Give Thanks to God for how He has blessed the United States of America.- Steve Von Guten (Toledo, OH)

 Well, my tradition dates back for 41 years.  I was born on
Thanksgiving in 1967.  As my mother was too pregnent to travel everyone came to our
house for Thanksgiving that year.  Very early in the morning my mother went into
labor.  She managed to leave notes all around the house letting everyone know what
needed to be done so that the dinner could still go ahead.  Every Thanksgiving
someone usually my cousin Steve tells of the story how I totally disrupted
Thanksgiving in 1967.  He tells of my Uncle Paul who had to sleep on a air mattress
with a hole in it.  How mom was so very cool under the pressure of going into labor
and still managing to make sure the dinner was a sucess.  Even thouh it was 41 years
ago and I now live in Australia the Gagle traditon of how I spoiled Thanksgiving
still is told for gernerations to come. - Brian Gagle (Caloundra, Australia)

 Every Thanksgiving, rain or shine, sleet or snow, warm or cold, our familygets together and after our turkey feast, go out and play a game of football! Even the women! - Linda Price (Merritt Island, FL)