It wouldn't be Thanksgiving without....

It wouldn't be Thanksgiving without feeling awkward around people that I don't know. Thanksgiving seemed to go from being a core group of aunts, uncles and cousins to being the cousins of cousins and so on and so forth. In total, the house can end up 6 to 7 folding tables full of people. Do you remember walking into the cafeteria for the first time as a freshman in high school? Yeah, it's like that.

It wouldn't be Thanksgiving without my Aunt's deviled eggs. I've had my hand slapped many of times for trying to sneak one or two before dinner is served. At 30, I never give up trying.

It wouldn't be Thanksgiving without my cousin's apple pie. Shredded, simmered apples with cinnamon. He refuses to give us the recipe. That is fine. I will figure out the right amount of nutmeg/cinnamon ratio one of these days.

It wouldn't be Thanksgiving without Ben-Hur. Ben-Hur? I could never understand why when some family members came over, they always popped in Ben-Hur and couldn't wait for the chariot whipping race. Thank goodness for DVD. That VHS tape is long gone, but it feels like there is nothing to do until football comes on. That means I might actually have to talk to all the new family members I don't know.

It wouldn't be Thanksgiving without the Dallas Cowboys. My cousin's favorite team. If the Cowboys win, it's because the Lord willed it, according to her. If they lose, it's because the other team cheated. This is a highlight of the night.

It wouldn't be Thanksgiving without a wreck on I-85. If we don't leave the house before 8 p.m. to get back home, we are guaranteed to be stuck in traffic because some idiot wrecked his car. And now that Black Friday sales have lines at stores earlier and earlier, it's increasingly clear that road travel for the holiday needs to be cut short or I need to eat less.

It wouldn't be Thanksgiving without a culinary showdown. Who will win when Grandma's potato salad goes against Mom's? Of course Mom wins, but that doesn't stop Grandma from taking a poll right there in the kitchen.

It wouldn't be Thanksgiving without one vegetarian asking "What's in this?" A southern family Thanksgiving is cooked with love. Love = butter, oil, gravy, salt and various meats like turkey, chicken, beef, ham and fish. The only things that are safe may be potato salad, macaroni and cheese and the yeast rolls from Golden Corral since no one wants to try to make them. A meal can be made off of the potato salad and macaroni and cheese so there have been no complaints yet.

What are some key things that make Thanksgiving at your local family spot?