Thanksgiving - When North Meets South!
Updated: November 26, 2025
Thanksgiving Memories From a Northern Heart in the Southern Home
Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays since my teenage years. Why do I love Thanksgiving so much? Very simple: the ingredients are family, friends, football, and gratitude. I love this holiday because it’s all about being together. No presents or gift exchanges, little decorations or music playing—just togetherness.
I am a traditionalist when it comes to Thanksgiving. When I moved to the South in 2006, I quickly learned that traditions can vary. My wife Michele and I have the annual debate right after Halloween, and she always starts by saying, “Let’s put the Christmas decorations up early this year.” Each year, I manage to resist the urge, except in 2020; we put them up early because our US Marine son was only home for Thanksgiving that year and wasn’t planning to be home for Christmas. Luckily, we were blessed to have him home for Christmas that year as well. That year, my wife won the decorations battle.
We love watching football on Thanksgiving. I used to play in a Turkey Bowl on Thanksgiving morning when I was up north in my younger days. I’m afraid my turkey leg bones would break if I tried that now. Like many others, I grew up watching the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys play like Super Bowl champs on Thanksgiving Day, no matter how poorly they performed that season.
Traditions and Tin Pans
Our traditional Thanksgiving menu, living as a Northern Yankee, consisted of turkey, bread stuffing, gravy, two kinds of potatoes, green bean casserole, carrots, cranberries, and plenty of dinner rolls. After moving South and marrying a Southern belle in 2010, we began incorporating both Southern and Northern dishes into our menu. I have learned after living 16 years in the South that macaroni and cheese is considered a vegetable; cold potato salad is a staple at many Southern Thanksgiving tables (sorry, I still think it belongs at a summer picnic), and ham is always on our table for Thanksgiving. This was always part of our Easter celebration up north; it’s a staple here in the South, especially when your wife doesn’t like turkey.
The ongoing political divide at our table every year is the debate between bread stuffing and cornbread dressing. I usually start with a comment like “cornbread belongs with chili,” and then the spirited debate begins. Each year, my mother-in-law brings her cornbread dressing to our house. Two years ago, I placed a hot Pyrex pan, just out of the oven, on the cold granite countertop. There was broken glass and cornbread dressing everywhere within seconds. Everyone was more thankful for my bread stuffing that year after that kitchen nightmare. Since then, my mother-in-law only brings her cornbread dressing in tin pans and won’t let me touch it anymore.
Desserts there are always too many, and by the time we get to them, very little is eaten. As much as I love pumpkin pie, I prefer sweet potato pie. The South is starting to influence me. The sweetest part of Thanksgiving for me is the moment we all come together, a time for reflection and gratitude.
Where Traditions Change but Gratitude Stays the Same
The gift of Thanksgiving is the opportunity to be thankful for our blessings. Life seems to move much faster each year as I get older. I love taking this day to pause and reflect on how lucky I am to be surrounded by a wonderful family, friends, and community.
Thanksgiving Day has a way of grounding me every year. No matter which dishes win the table debate or which traditions blend, the heart of the day never changes. It reminds me to slow down, appreciate the people in my life, and be grateful for the moments we get to share. As our family continues to mix Northern and Southern ways, the traditions may shift, but the gratitude stays the same. This holiday always brings me back to what matters most, and for that, I’m thankful.
Dan Mahony
President
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