Thanksgiving and the day after

This may have been the first Thanksgiving that Chris or I have spent without family, but the Heywoods are as dear to us as any family, so we were in good company. Sherie and Ben indulged our need to be in control (while retaining theirs) by splitting the menu with us. Everyone provided their family's time-treasured recipes, and the result was a fantastic meal and enough food to feed a small army.

Charlie provided some pre-dinner music.
Bored with stirring gravy, Charlie, Elliot and a whole lot of alcohol did some coloring.
The food...oof. And, you're not seeing a second dish of stuffing, the cranberry sauce, another pie, and the rolls!
We may have gotten a preview of Charlie as a teenager. After seven year old Alex showed Charlie a tiny bit of attention, she proceeded to follow him around for the rest of the evening, trying her best to entertain him.
And, while we criticize the rush to Christmas following Thanksgiving, we are guilty of getting in the spirit pretty quickly as well.