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Published on 11/20/1995 All articles from this issue

Thanksgiving in Los Altos has many traditions

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By Clyde Noel / Town Crier Staff Writer

Ask anyone what they are going to do on Thanksgiving Day and they start off with the phrase "We always ... "

"We always" means they are going to have pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving or we are going to Grandma's for dinner or we always watch football on Thanksgiving Day. That's because Thanksgiving has a resonance that gives rise to tradition, customs and obligations for the family.

This year is the 375th anniversary of the Mayflower's arrival at Plymouth Rock and the original Thanksgiving celebration lasted three days. Other important events that have left an impact on are traditions are Abraham Lincoln's edict declaring Thanksgiving Day an official holiday and Ben Franklin's disappointment when the turkey was not chosen as the national bird.

A casual poll of residents of Los Altos and Los Altos Hills show different traditions for the Thanksgiving dinner that include many new traditions.

Buzz Thayer, manager of Coldwell Banker, is starting a new Thanksgiving dinner tradition. "The men in my family will do the cooking. My son, my 11-year-old grandson and I will prepare the dinner. It will be three generations of men preparing dinner for a gathering of 11."

Michael Shoffner will close Gallery Michael for the day and prepare his special dinner. "By tradition the family always gathers around 3:30 p.m. and there are no excuses for not coming. With our family, there is nothing more important than this day. It's our custom."

Jinny Collins, a 25-year resident of Los Altos, always has the oldest child say grace before dinner. "Then after Thanksgiving dinner we start putting up the Christmas Tree. We have 100 small lighted houses from the Dicken's Village collection and we have to begin early.

Los Altos Hills resident Phyllis Carmichael brings her family together every year at her home. "It's a family affair with grandparents and grandchildren," she said. "We try to get everyone around one table and there are 40 in the family."

Jim and Beth Sweeney, a 30-year resident of Los Altos, have practiced the same traditional dinner for years. "The family comes from different parts of the country. The men in the family always watch NFL Football and the women prepare the dinner to be served right after the game is over."

George Kimball, a 38-year resident of Los Altos always goes to his sister-in-law for Thanksgiving dinner. "They have a big house in Woodside, and since our family is large that's why we go there. Then we all take pictures of the family. This is a custom practiced for 40 years and we have a file of the family pictures for each year.

Carol Hanzil, gets away from Eureka Bank and cooks her Thanksgiving dinner. "The entire family gets together for turkey, cranberries, mashed potatoes and gravy and each of my five children brings their own special dish."

Happy Thanksgiving.