Submitted by G'MaMollie, Nov 21, 2007 13:30

My earliest American ancestors came to Jamestown and New England in the early 1600s. Our five-generation family now includes people descended from slaves and American Indians, by marriage from Mexico, Guatemala, and the Philippines, and a three-generation family from India we "adopted" many years ago. About 200 relatives gather at the family farm for a 4-day Thanksgiving family reunion. Our meals are an eclectic mixture of homemade dishes from all those cultures. Cooking is done in the several small family homes on the farm, in campers, over campfires, and in barbecue pits. We rent folding tables and chairs, and have a huge canopy erected over the outdoor "dining room.'" Many don't worry much about fat, starch, or calories that weekend, but there's ample food for vegetarians, vegans, and those on special diets for health reasons. No "food police" allowed, though! The city kids get to gather eggs, milk cows (and make hand-churned butter and ice cream), fish, gather pecans, build forts, and roam freely around the farm. TVs are unplugged, iPods aren't allowed, and no non-urgent phone calls are made except to family members who can't attend. The only computer use allowed is for daily video contact with family members who can't be with us. Cameras (still and video) and digital voice recorders are used to record the weekend activities, especially to capture the tales of the eldest two generations (ages 66 to 103). Generation 3 and 4 "geeks" put all the results together and make DVDs for the computer literate, with print copies for those of generation 1 who don't use computers. Though many of us don't attend church, on Thanksgiving day anyone who wishes may stand up and share things they are thankful for. Last year, the youngest member of generation 5 old enough to talk climbed on a chair, stretched out his tiny arms, and said "THANKS for my BIG family and the trees to climb and the river and the good cookies!" That's what we consider a real THANKS-giving :)

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