Grandpa was the King of Thanksgiving. It was his holiday, and stuffing balls were his magnum opus. Thanksgiving has always been my favorite for the simplicity; all the joys of Christmas without the stress of wrapping presents.

Traditionally I'd spend Thanksgiving eve and morning with my dad, waking up to a few hours of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade before heading to Merrimac.

Our first view in Nanny & Grandpa's dark entry way was the stairway heading up, full of foil wrapped dishes of varying sizes and colors. Mom would peel back the foil on the pan she knew was Grandpa's apple crisp and eat the crunchy topping off a corner; Aunt Steph would follow a few minutes later with a taste of her own. Grandpa always noticed.

Past the stairs and into the orange tiled kitchen would be Grandpa rearranging the turkey in the oven to make room for mashed potatoes, and Nanny maneuvering their dish washer to the sink to plug it in. (Oh yeah, it's one of those.) If Christmas music wasn't playing on their stereo it was always Elvis.

This year we needed an entire royal court to take over the King's duties. Grandpa did it all, aside from Aunt Steph's carrots and Mom's pearled onion contributions. My brother inherited the stuffing ball bowl- also inheriting the eyes and taste buds of our family who bet on whether he could pull it off. All other tasks were divided except for the turkey, and all of us were left quietly wondering how a Merrimac Thanksgiving would be without our key player.

A few months prior to Turkey Day, Shelby and I were closing on Mellow Meadows when Mom, Nanny, and I were enjoying salads at the Maia Papaya. I thought aloud, "What if we have Thanksgiving at my house? It may be a bit more crowded, but not everyone has seen it yet, and I think we'd be more cheerful there." Mom and Nanny seconded the motion and agreed that we should invite Shelby's parents as well. (Conveniently my mother-in-law is a wicked cook, and she took over turkey duty!)

The week of Thanksgiving, Nanny came up to help me prepare. We cleaned and we cooked and we set up a beautiful table that stretched from the dining room into the entryway.

With our preparations, the actual day was rather stress free. The whole family adored our house and as we sat down to lunch, we thought about what we were most thankful for. It's tradition in my family to speak youngest to oldest, so we ended with Nanny. Tearfully, she thanked Grandpa for the decades of love and hard work he brought to Thanksgiving, and acknowledged that she couldn't imagine taking that on without everyone's input. Shelby and I were, of course, thankful for Grandpa and honored to have carried his legacy at our own home.

After enjoying our feast, we concluded DD's stuffing balls were excellent and Tinker's turkey was the BEST turkey we've had in years. (We hope Grandpa didn't hear us!) Our family raved about how delicious everything was, and at how well Shelby and I took over hosting duties. Our first Thanksgiving was so successful, that we have officially been handed the torch.

I love how this new tradition will be a yearly occurrence at Mellow Meadows, but I do wish Grandpa was with us in more than spirit. Mom presented a Thanksgiving wall hanging she had made from Grandpa's favorite shirts, with his traditional Thanksgiving garb making up the turkey. What an incredible way to commemorate our Thanksgiving King, and to always have a piece of him with us each holiday.