I have many things to be thankful for

And so do my kids, nieces and nephews

By Kelly Hockenberry, Columnist, The Times

UTKellyRev2ColumnMy memories of Thanksgiving as a child are some of my most precious.  Our (not so large) extended family would gather at my Great Aunt’s house for food (including tons of desserts…my grandfather and his brother owned a few bakeries!) laughter and love.

We would play touch football with our cousins and then come inside to watch more football followed by The Wizard of Oz.  My sisters and I never wanted to leave at the end of the night.

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because it doesn’t involve gifts, just togetherness.  It is certainly a time to reflect on all of the blessings in our lives.  There is nothing better than to hear the perspective of children, so this year, I thought it would be fun to question my boys and my nieces and nephews about what they are grateful for.

Oh boy, was it hilarious!  (Important to note that I listed the items in order of significance as directed)

Kelly1

Jared (16): my family and friends (and I hope that no one is reading this article) (and lots of eye rolling)

Wyatt (12): my family, friends, basketball, video games and food

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kelly2

 

 

 

AJ (14): my school, brothers to hang out with, awesome parents (wow! Impressive, right?)

Ian (12): ice hockey, my Rubiks cube and puzzles

Tyler (11): being able to do the things I enjoy, like soccer and spending time with my family

Nate (10): Brooks (the dog), my friends at school and family

 

***collectively:  “and our favorite Aunt Kelly who put our name in print”  (brownie points)

 

kelly3Julia (10):  my house, my family, food, water and utilities (yes, utilities!)

Alan (8):  my family and my I-pad!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kelly4

 

 

 

Seth (9):  my family, my turtle, shelter, food, water, friends and my electronics

Teresa (6): horses and ponies, family, Tilly (the dog), shelter, food and Christmas

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kelly5

 

 

 

 

Tristan (8): animals, plants and my family

Jade (5): the world, my house, my brother and baby dolls

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kelly6

 

 

 

Julian (4):  apple pie, Minions from Despicable Me and my family

Josie (2): Grammy, lollipops and kitty cats

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I couldn’t have said it better myself!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

   Send article as PDF   

Share this post:

Related Posts

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.