Thanksgiving Turkey Walk

Thanksgiving is a special time of year.  I love it!  I love the colors, the smells and time with family and friends.

One of our neighbors, someone I consider to be a longtime friend, likes to have a neighborhood Turkey Walk on Thanksgiving.  She calls all her neighbors and invites them to take part in a group walk to celebrate the holiday with her family.  After walking for maybe a mile, we return to her house and enjoy coffee, cocoa, cinnamon rolls and various breakfast items together.

The event began a few years back with about three or four families and it has continued as a bit of a tradition, year after year.  This year there were about 50 people walking in our group.... or is it a gaggle?... (No, not a "gaggle," that would be geese! Actually, a group of turkeys is called a "rafter."  Maybe we were just a "crowd.")  Anyhow, having done this for several years now,  it was quite fun to get her call to join in and do it once again.  It is becoming quite the holiday tradition!  It has also been fun to see kids who were at first being pulled in wagons and sleds over the trek of a mile walking, and sledding on their own and to meet some neighboring families we have not had the opportunity to meet yet.

Here is our holiday flag.... which someone in the group always gets to carry.  It's a pilgrim-dressed type of turkey with they words "Give Thanks" on it.

It has been very cold here following a lot of snowfall.  The night before was extremely cold... in fact it zeroed out....   I was almost certain that it would still be very cold, making for a freezing "Turkey Walk."  But come Thursday morning it was 19 degrees and snowing.  (That means it was warm!)  So after waking up Thanksgiving morning, put our turkey in the oven and headed out the door to our friends house for an 8:30 AM walk.... but not just any walk...

a Turkey Walk!


Here we are arriving.... people with kids and treats in tow.

We gathered our troops,




grabbed our Hotties,

and off we went!

We made our way back to our starting spot and gathered around the table of food to give thanks to the Lord our God, for the food we had to eat, for His many blessing upon us us in this year, for our gathering of friends and neighbors, and for being our savior when this life is through. Then we ate and visited and met one another if they were new to us.  The kids played, some played the piano, and it was lots of fun.

Here is our lovely host and hostess.  Stu and Natalie.










After all was said and done, we came home and celebrated Thanksgiving with our immediate family, feeling very thankful for many things, but especially all these dear sweet neighbors, old friends and new, who are not afraid to brave the cold and who make their own homes around us, near and far....

I should mention that one of the families at our gathering were visiting missionaries, relatives of one of our neighbors.  They are currently living in Mexico....home for the holidays.... planning to return before long.  

Yes, we are thankful for good neighbors... and thoughtful, loving friends, both near, and far!