The Differences Between a Southern and Yankee Thanksgiving

Though I'm not exactly sure when Thanksgiving begins in the land north of the Mason-Dixon, I can tell you that here in God's Country, it's not just limited to one day. In fact, it's pretty much a full week of celebration here in the South!

It usually will start about 5:30 pm on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. That's when all those who weren't thinking ahead Sunday after church, have to make that mad dash to the grocery store to pick up all the necessities.

The actual cooking will begin Wednesday night when Mom and your grandmother and aunts will converge on the kitchen or kitchens and begin to fashion what most would say is a little glimpse of what heaven will smell and taste like.

They'll cook all night long and yet when lunchtime hits on Thursday, they look well-rested, relaxed, bathed and cleaned up with hair and make up done and wearing a big smile behind their apron. I've always thought that was God's biggest miracle.

Course they'll holler to "shut off that football game on TV" and go wash up for lunch at the appropriate time. Once the meal has been gone through like a flock of buzzards descending on a fresh road-kill, they'll spend the next hour washing and putting up the "fine China" that they won't use again until Christmas.

The festivities won't stop there. Nope, on Friday we're thankful for the turkey sandwiches and a little dab of that left-over dressing. Saturday it's turkey salad or possibly a turkey hash or cream of turkey (yes I'm kidding). Sunday there's turkey soup or something else made with turkey leftovers that required a recipe passed down for generations.

I'm just betting this full week is one of the biggest differences between our Thanksgiving down here and Thanksgiving up north. But, there are even more, so I've listed some of the most obvious for you.