WIN Your Thanksgiving Turkey & Tips for More Meaningful Holiday Photos!
Turkey Winners! Congratulations to: Tracey Bentley, Tiffany Schmidt, and Sally Rector Patterson!
Only thing I hate about giveaways is that everyone can’t win! I really need to be Oprah one day…
Please email me your mailing address at ichristy@ymail.com and I’ll send them out tomorrow!
When it comes to Thanksgiving and turkey, one name instantly comes to mind: Butterball! Not only are they known for their ever-juicy birds, but also for their famed Butterball Hotline that allows consumers to call in with all of their turkey questions and have them answered by seasoned professionals. The butterball hotline began 29 years ago and received over 11,000 calls in it’s first year. Today, Butterball employs more than fifty college degreed home economists who answer over 100,000 questions each year in November and December.
Got questions? They’re here to answer them! Whether it be how to impress your in laws or how to feed a large gathering, Butterball experts are ready to help. Just call 1-800-Butterball (1-800-288-8372) and get ready for a less-stress holiday!
Now on to how to enter to win a Butterball Turkey Certificate AND how to better preserve your family history this holiday season. I’m sure the two are related somehow.
As I sat down to type up this post, I had just finished going through a box of old photographs from my childhood. It’s amazing how many of my special memories are caught on film. But one photo in particular stood out to me. It was one of my Grandaddy pushing us around in the wheel barrow on Thanksgiving. We always arrived at my Grandmama’s house early so that Mama could help cook the meal. The house heated up awfully quick and all of the kids usually spent most of the time before the meal playing outside. Grandaddy, who dearly loved kids, joined us whenever he could and never turned down our requests for rides in his wheel barrow around the yard.
Grandaddy, Me, my sister Patti, brother Bill
Finding this picture meant the world to me, not that I didn’t have the image etched firmly in my mind, but now I can see it tangibly and share it with my children as well so they can “remember” along with me. I was fortunate to find that one but I also learned some things while going through the photos, aside from the fact that I come from a long line of very bad photographers! I thought I’d share a few tips with you to help improve the value of your holiday photographs.
Tips for Remembering the Holidays Through Photos
- Remember what really matters. Food is important, so is atmosphere, but ten years from now are you really going to care that you have a photo of Aunt Sue’s casserole, or a photo of Aunt Sue? Whenever possible, put people in your photos. You’ll be glad you did.
- Take a “hungry” camera. I know this sounds morbid but we don’t know how long our loved ones will be with us. An opportunity where we are all gathered together is a precious one, take photos of everyone present both casually and smiling directly at the camera. Make your camera “hungry” for everyone. Be sure to hand it off to get a few photos of yourself as well.
- Be Considerate of your subjects for better photos. I think everyone in my family has had at least a few photos taken right as we put a bite of food in our mouth. Not very flattering, believe me. Warn your subjects ahead of time so that they can look their best and you can get a photo everyone will be proud of. “Okay, everyone look up!” will suffice, provided you wait a second until they look up and see the camera.
- Take a few posed group shots with assorted groupings. One of the photos I came across was my dad’s grandparents, Mama Pearl and Papa Cleve. There was a photo of my dad, his mom, Mama Pearl and Papa Cleve, myself and my siblings. It was a very nice photo. However, whoever took the photos (most likely my Mama) also placed each of us individually with Mama Pearl and Papa Cleave, which makes for an even more intimate photo as a remembrance of our relationship. I’m glad we have it both ways.
- Have prints made. I am the world’s worse at this since digital cameras have taken over. Looking through all of these family photographs though, I’m going to make it a point to change that and have photos printed at least monthly. While I don’t have time to properly scrapbook them like I used to, I can at least place them in an acid free album using a safe adhesive. I want my kids to be able to thumb through their memories one day, too.
I’d love to hear your hints and tips for preserving the memories of the holidays. I’d also love to hear about your favorite Thanksgiving memory. Did your Grandaddy to ride you around in a wheel barrow like mine did? Did your granny make a special dish just because you liked it? What memory do you try to recreate for your children and grandchildren today?
Share a little with me in the comments below and be entered to win one of THREE Butterball Turkey Certificates, just in time for Thanksgiving!
I’ll draw winners at random next Monday and notify the winners on this post and on the Southern Plate Family Page on Facebook.
Good Luck!
For additional entries, do one of the following:
On Twitter: Tweet “Win a Butterball Turkey from @butterball and @southernplate! http://snipurl.com/t5snz “
Facebook: Post a link to this giveaway on your Facebook page and let me know you did on the Southern Plate Family Page!
Some people are always grumbling because roses have thorns;
I am thankful that thorns have roses.
~Alphonse Karr. Submit your quote here.
My good friend (and flea market buddy!), Lara alerted me to some great deals on Turkey at Wal Mart. She has a great deal finder blog if y’all are interested. She’s a great friend, too!
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Posted by Christy Jordan
on Nov 9 2009. Filed under Misc.
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We always take family photos on my Mom’s back steps, we have grown quite a bit but still manage to all crowd in for 1 big group photo. I love to take candid shots of everyone playing football, watching football on tv and/or napping.
In the 60′s, Thanksgiving afternoon meant going to BigK with my mom.
I just love your website! You always strike a chord with me and my memories of growing up a “southern girl.” My grandpa would always say a humble, sincere prayer of thanks, then hurry to eat the Thanksgiving meal so he could go deer hunting!
We always lived far away from our extended family. So it was usually Mom, Dad, my brother and me. But often we’d have someone else at the table. Maybe a co-worker who had no family in town, or someone we’d recently met who needed a friend. I love the fact that my family always opened their home and hearts to those who needed a place to feel a sense of belonging.
I love turkey. My baby loves turkey.
We have tried many different traditions, thanksgiving usually is a traveling holiday. We always go to someones house. I love being with all of my family and making fun of everyone. We are so loving, yet mean LOL
This year we are spending Thanksgiving with my Grandma & family on my mom’s side. I can’t wait. Its been a while since all of us were together for a holiday, and this year with the passing of my Grandpa its a good time to get together.
Thanksgiving is wonderful! The one thing i like about thanksgiving is being around family and the food. one time my husband was trying
to help me with the deviled eggs. so he was boiling them before
everyone got out of bed. and he fell asleep on the couch and the eggs blew up everywhere it was a mess. and it really stunk. lol
keep up the good recipes. they our wonderful
I remember we’d get together at my Grannies house and she would make stuffing and her AMAZING rolls! YUUUM…My Dad would smoke a turkey and my Mom and the rest of us 6 kids would help in the kitchen either chopping or just helping out in any way we could, without getting in the way…lol…Then we would sit down to eat and visit to our hearts content! <3…aaaahhhh….I love Thanksgiving! My favorite Holiday!
Thank you Christy for letting me share my memory!
Oh gosh, Christy loved reading about your Grandaddy! My Grandpa was special, he treated each of his grandchildren the same,and loved unconditionally all the time. My favorite as I look back is when I was fortunate to spend it with my oldest Son and he made his famous (to me) pumpkin pie, still can’t figure out how he made it; and wish I had got it before he passed away. It certainly makes those times with him not only at Thanksgiving but at every meal I shared with him; because he always made me His pumpkin pie. I have had many pumpkin pies and none have ever tasted like his. Miss You Son.
Thanksgiving is so precious-a time to gather with family and just spend wonderful time together. We are very much into tradition at my home. My husband and I moved far away from my family at a very young age, and I had to cook my first turkey dinner all alone at the tender age of 23. I was terrified my turkey wouldn’t turn out right! Every year I do the whole meal by myself with the exception of my daughter who now brings a green bean casserole. Now I have a grandson and we are making new memories.
Oh the memories of Thanksgiving!!! I have so many. Ever since I can remember we have gotten together at my Aunts house (use to be my grandparents house until they passed away, now she carries on the tradition)for Thanksgiving. We have a pretty large family. Like you mentioned the moms usually get there early to help cook and the kids end up playing out side. My children being the ones that are doing the playing now while I am helping cook. I do hope this tradition continues until my grandchildren can be the ones helping cook while their children are the ones playing outside. It is such a wonderful time we all have together.
Thank you for sharing your Thanksgiving memories with us and helping us to remember our special times.
Before eating, we also go around the table and each person shares one or two things they are particularly thankful for. There is never a dry eye left when we’re done. It’s been a very special time for us every year!
I love, love, love Thanksgiving and Christmas. My favorite time of the year. For the best, I mean VERY BEST turkey, you can’t beat fried. In less than an hour you have your main course prepared and it is the juciest, tenderest, most delectable meat you can ever believe. It melts in your mouth. (Oh my, my mouth is watering just thinking about it) And as a bonus, it was a Cajun from Louisiana that came up with the idea. You can’t get any further south than that. Christy, maybe you should give fried turkey a try, if you haven’t already, and then write about it. I’ll bet your readers would find it most enjoyable. Something to think about.
I remember the first thanksgiving meal my son-in-law became part of the family. He was quite impressed that everything was made from scratch. Then he continued to compliment me throughout the whole meal. I’d know ahead of time that custard pie was his favorite, so I made sure I made one especially for him. After he ate his first piece of pie I kind of wondered a little that he didn’t comment it the way he did the rest of the meal, but no big deal. Then when I asked him if he wanted to take the rest of the pie home, he kind of reluctantly took it. There was a small piece left after they went home, so I tasted it. To my horror, I’d used salt instead of sugar. He was just either too polite or timid to say anything. Now, 20 years later he asks every Thanksgiving whether I used salt or sugar when I serve the custard pie.
Christy, I love your website. I live in Florence, Alabama and heard about your website via my friend in Arkansas!! Sign me up for a turkey girl. Thanks, Susan
My childhood memories of Thanksgiving are of food and family all together. I remember rising early to watch the Macy’s parade on TV. Now as a sister in a convent, I love Thanksgiving because it is an opportunity for all the sisters to gather and simply enjoy cooking together, spending time with one another, relaxing and maybe watching a little football.
Subscribed to your posts a couple of weeks ago and love it. I’ve already purchased a “bone-in” turkey breast for your crock pot recipe. Gonna give it a trial run before Thanksgiving. Won’t my family be impressed when I volunteer to cook “the turkey”? Love Thanksgiving because that day we do reflect more on what’s important and how richly blessed we are.
Thank you for all of your great recipes! I will be using a few of them for our Thanksgiving meal. I hope you and all of your readers have a most wonderful Holiday!
Mary
There was a pink congealed salad that my Granny always made for me. I wish I had the exact recipe, but I remember that it had some kind of pink jello, cottage cheese, and chopped pecans. It also had some kind of fruit– I don’t know if it was fruit cocktail or maybe crushed pineapple. But, that was on the table EVERY Thanksgiving when she was living. I miss it and of course miss her even more.
Hi – My nicest memory of Thanksgiving would be having “the” big turkey dinner at my Grandma & Grandpa’s house in the country. My extended family wasn’t very large but everyone would be there. Grandma did the main cooking but we all pitched in. I like remembering those times.
The best thing about Thanksgiving to me…..
Its the only time the whole family (currently over 150) gets together. Especially since i now lives about 4 hours from my family I love Thanksgiving. Everyone piles into my grandparents house. I always go a day or two early so i can help prepare the huge meal before turkey day!
Opps apparently i cant spell! That is supposed to be live 4 hours away
Traditions are very important to a happy family. Without them, Children grow up with no base, no sense of who they are and where they came from.
This is my first year cooking Thanksgiving dinner for my extended family. I am awfully excited!! Wish me luck and I’m crossing my fingers for that turkey…
We almost always had Thanksgiving dinner at our house when I was growing up. And we always invited people other than family, friends who didn’t have any place to go for the holiday, etc. I love that tradition. It’s been tough convincing my in-laws to continue this, they like it to be intimate and cozy, just family. So we compromise, some years I invite friends, some years I don’t. Makes me a little sad that I can’t share God’s blessings with friends, but it’s all part of the compromise of bringing two families together.
Thanksgiving–my favorite holiday! Nothing required but good food
and family to have a good time.
Thanksgiving means to me missing my grandparents but catching up with aunts, uncles and seeing all the cousins. Always eating way to much and asking for the new recipes
, kids playing in the yard and men yelling at the television football games 
Love the chance to win a butterball for my butterballs!
I have always considered my Mom the best cook I know. So Thanksgiving with anyone but her just isn’t the same. I hope that one day I can live up to her cooking
I am now the official Turkey cooker in the family. I learned a wonderful trick of lining the roasting pan with carrots sliced in half lengthwise to use as a rack for the turkey. Not only does the turkey taste great, but so do the carrots!
I agree that Thanksgiving is the holiday that is celebrated in the best way. Just food and family is all it takes to make it a success. Lets try to bring a little more of the Thanksgiving “spirit” into all of our holidays.
My MawMaw always made lots of butter beans for me on holidays. I’ve never had any like hers anywhere else – sure wish I knew how she did it! P.S. Your Brady looks a lot like your brother in the wheelbarrow pic.
My husband was deployed to Iraq for our first 2 Thanksgivings together and our first Christmas together. He came home on Christmas Eve last year after 15 months. We started our holiday tradition last year when he came home. For Christmas, we invite soldiers without family near to share our Christmas. This year we are doing the same for Thanksgiving and we are planning to make this a holiday tradition (as long as we are at home for the holiday). We are expecting about 15-20 (possibly more) soldiers and family members. We live in government quarters so our space is kinda limited but all that really matters is helping others have a wonderful holiday when it otherwise would be spent in their barracks room or a hotel room. I do all of the cooking (which is about to start in the next couple of days).
I have five siblings and two cousins! Every Thanksgiving my Grandparents,Aunt and Uncle, My Parents,My cousins, all of my siblings and I spend three days in one house. My Grandma bakes and cooks for weeks beforehand. We spend the whole time eating and watching old movies. It is really a great family tradition!
Back in the “old days” when we had been married 9 months and had moved to North Carolina from the West Coast we had our first Thanksgiving alone and pretty poor, too (that was 49 years ago). We found a small Butterball turkey on sale and had our little celebration all alone but that turkey has always been a well remembered feast. Would love to win one this year out here in the Northwest.
Thank you for the opportunity.
We have a graditute jouranl that gets passed to each person, to list what they have been thankful for during the year, it’s become a tradition and a keepsake. THanks for the giveaway, will post it on FB too.
Great information on photos! Butterball is the only turkey we have ever purchased for holidays in my family.
It takes noticing those that are missing at the table to appreciate those who are at the table. Happy Thanksgiving.
Tammy Leigh
One of the most memorable Thanksgiving was in early 1970′s when my grandmother still had the holiday dinners at her & granpa’s house. We’d all get there early and my sister and I would nibble on stuff from the relish tray & ask every few minutes if it (that wonderful smelling turkey) was finally ready. About the time it was finally ready, my grandma was pulling the bird out of the oven and gasped “Oh my goodness!” We all ran to the kitchen and she explained that the mercury thermometer embedded in the turkey breast had broken. At first we thought about just eating the legs & thigh but grandma was too scared of poisoning us all. So she dipped up the potatoes, browned the buscuits & served up the green bean casserole and we had Thanksgiving sans the turkey. And you know what, it was the best Thanksgiving ever because we didn’t need that ole bird to realize we were all together healthy, happy & home where we needed to be!!
I hope I win one of these turkeys!!
We are spending this Thanksgiving with my mother in law who hasn’t been in my husbands life for many years but they have now patched things up! I can’t wait to eat my favorite super moist dressing topped with gravy and the leftover turkey to make turkey sandwiches on soft white bread with miracle whip! I can make a killer turkey salad too! Yummy! Butterball turkey is the best!
making favorite dishes, spending time together. So sad that both of my Parents passed away within the last 2 years.
tweeted
http://twitter.com/cdmtx65/status/5598142205
I’m thankful that I was with my Mom for 60 Thanksgivings. Every one holds a special memory! She was a terrific cook and taught me everything I know and do well in the kitchen. She also taught me to treasure family and friends…every day can be Thanksgiving.
Family. It is the best part of Thanksgiving. We get together and remember the ones who are nolonger with us and laugh about all the good times and even the bad.
I love all the smells of Thanksgiving dinner. It takes so long to prepare, and is eaten so quickly!
Remembering past Thanksgivings with loved one
My favorite thing about Thanksgiving is Family. I love family gatherings. Its a time in which we come together and catch up and fellowship. <3
I love Thansgiving. I love cooking for my family and spending time reminiscing about our childhood.
Remembering Thanksgiving with my family before I got married… everyone would gather at my moms house all the adults would be at one table, and all the little ones at another. We would see how much we could crame into our tummys. Then all the men would pile into the living room to watch the football game and miss most of it due to dozing off to sleep from all that Turkey. While the women would get stuck doing those dishes.
My favorite memory of Thanksgiving, is just being with my entire family. Everyone would come to my grandma’s and grandpa’s it was such a wonderful time.
I remember when I was in high school in the early 60′s, & we had no food for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. I’m the oldest of 8 & was very excited when a mysterious box appeared on our front porch. There inside of that cardbox box was a big turkey, potatoes, cranberries, pumpkin, & lots of other ingredients like flour, sugar, butter, etc. I was humbled at such an early age to know that this world is full of kind & loving people. In my adult life I try to pay-it-forward. Thank you “Thanksgiving Angels”…wherever you are!
As a kid it was just me and my parents. As an adult it is my husband, me and our kids, his parents and brother. In all it is a small family of 8 total. Usually we try to have the kids bring something they made to grandmas. We are not suppose to bring something but we do anyways so the kids can be involved and it is all about being thankful and sharing your bounty – right? So, last year my oldest got sick and I had to bring him to the doctors at night. The younget and dad tried to make a pumpkin pie. Big flop but it was made with love and no clue what they were doing but both of them were pround! I love the pictures my husband took to share with me and I spent my birthday at the urgent care with my son! Great memories are sometimes the ones you do not think will be a great memory but it is the time together.