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Happy Thanksgiving 2025

November 27, 2025

collage of pressley family photos

Thanksgsiving

Gettin’ together to smile an’ rejoice,
An’ eatin’ an’ laughin’ with folks of your choice;
An’ kissin’ the girls an’ declarin’ that they
Are growin’ more beautiful day after day;
Chattin’ an’ braggin’ a bit with the men,
Buildin’ the old family circle again;
Livin’ the wholesome an’ old-fashioned cheer,
Just for a while at the end of the year.

Greetings fly fast as we crowed through the door
And under the old roof we gather once more
Just as we did when the youngsters were small;
Mother’s a little bit grayer, that’s all.
Father’s a little bit older, but still
Ready to romp an’ to laugh with a will.
Here we are back at the table again
Tellin’ our stories as women an’ men.

—written by Edgar Albert Guest

Dear sweet Diane Lamb sent me this poem last January. If you watched the video of our recent cookbook signing, Diane was the lady with the walker who came all the way from Pennsylvania to see us. She is really something special.

I love the poem by Guest.

I’ve been blessed beyond measure to have many strong family ties. When I was a girl I listened to the older generations smile and tell stories from days gone by that they all remembered.

For many years it’s been my generation telling the stories and now Katie and Corie and their cousins tell their own stories when we are all together. I’m sure the next generation will continue the storytelling and the gathering together to fellowship and eat a hearty meal. I hope they do.

I know many people are alone this Thanksgiving. Many missing loved ones who’ve left this ole world. I’m sorry for you and I pray for you.

Today’s Thankful November giveaway is a slightly damaged but new copy of Celebrating Southern Appalachian Food written by Jim Casada and Tipper Pressley. To be entered in the giveaway leave a comment on this post. Giveaway ends December 1, 2025. There will be three winners for this giveaway.

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us here in Wilson Holler.

Last night’s video: Cooking for Thanksgiving.

Tipper

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Blogging about Appalachia since 2008

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125 Comments

  2. Some of my best memories are sitting on my Granny’s front porch on Sundays, listening to her playing the banjo and her older brothers playing their fiddles. In between the tunes, they would tell a story about their lives from long ago.

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  3. Thank you for another chance to win your lovely cookbook. I really enjoy the site you and your family have put together here; every post is like opening a gift, and the other readers add so much to the conversation. Best wishes for a safe and healthy winter. —suz in ohio, near the ohio-pa-wva intersection

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  4. Happy Thanksgiving weekend everyone. We will be getting 6 – 8″ of snow tomorrow in our area of Indiana. Wish I could send some to you Tipper.

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  5. As our family gets smaller at the elder end, it grows larger at the younger end. How I miss my Mama and Daddy, and the holidays we shared. I pass on memories to my children, and joyfully see how they have kept family trafitions alive as they also create their own. We are nlessed.

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  6. Oh Tipper, I’m so looking forward to your Thanksgiving video! I sure did a lot of reminiscing of Thanksgiving long ago yesterday. My husband and I spent Thanksgiving by ourselves, but we had a nice day.

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  9. I love the poems of Edgar Guest…thanks for sharing this one. Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving!
    It’s always fun to watch you make a recipe from your and Jim’s cookbook!

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  10. Tipper and Family, I am thankful I can “visit” with you almost daily. Best wishes for a HAPPY THANKSGIVING. Edgar Guest was a old timey poet I loved from back in grade school. Prayers for Granny to enjoy her time left with you. She sure is loved and she knows it!

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  12. Happy Thanksgiving Tipper and especially to Granny. I think she and I are the same age and both of us have serious medical problems. But I think we both have had wonderful lives with our families. Tipper, I would love to have a copy of your cookbook. I am not able to do much cooking, but I love to read the stories and recipes. I love the way you all are raising the precious little boys. They will have wonderful memories of their family as they grow older.

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  13. Happy Blessed Thanksgiving To Y’all ⛰️️ I Hope Everyone Had A Great Day Of Love, Family, Fellowship, Good Food. Praying Granny Was Able To Eat With Y’all. God Bless Y’all Always, Forever.

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  14. Tipper, Granny and the whole family! Happiest of Thanksgiving day to you and everyone. I got together today with my daughter and granddaughter. Just us girls! It was a good day to be together.

    3 copies of the cookbook? Goodness, hopefully my odds have just increased!
    much love,

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  15. Due to terrible weather in Wisconsin and more forecasted in Illinois this weekend and work schedules our family was not able to all be together this year. Small groups gathered where they could and enjoyed good food and time spent, sharing old memories and creating new ones. I hope that your family was able to share some special time together this year.

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  16. What a sweet poem. A lovely lady from Pa. to. To one of my very favorite You Tube Family’s, with love and many thanks for my daily visits and all I have learn from y’all. Your comforting time for me. Here’s hoping for a wonderful Thanksgiving Day, feasting, visiting and having a time of family and fun. God bless everyone today, tomorrow and always. Love, South Mississippi Jennifer and my family too.
    HAPPY THANKSGIVING !!!!!!!!2025

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  19. Had a great Thanksgiving Day dinner today with family and enjoyed the meal and company very much. I am ready for the fireplace and couch now.

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  21. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Tipper, I thought of you and your extended family gathered at your warm home today while driving to my parents earlier today and had to smile and say a prayer for you all. Praying it’s a very blessed day with Granny and she was up to partaking in the food and festivities.

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  22. I would Love to win the cookbook to give to my friend. Happy Thanksgiving To You Tipper and All of Your Beautiful Family Members.

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  25. Happy Thanksgiving. I loved the Book Signing video and this lovely poem. TY Tipper, for all you and your family do . I hope Granny has a good day and gets to enjoy time with all of you. I hope she can have pie and cake too. May the good folks up Wilson Hollow, on your youtube and here on this blog all find blessings in everything this day. Praise GOD, my son. Ed. is much improved this day. I keep you in my prayers. I love y’all.

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  28. Happy Thanksgiving to the Wilsons, Pressleys and all their kin! Thank you, Diane Lamb, for sharing the poem with Tipper so she could share it with us. Happy Thanksgiving to you too!

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  34. Happy Thanksgiving to Tipper and family and to everyone here! Sadly, we had to cancel our Thanksgiving (Canada) as my grandson was taken into surgery. He’s fine so that is a huge blessing! Now, I’m really looking forward to our Christmas celebration which is just around the corner.
    Norman, Matthew 25:31-46 is one of my very favorite scriptures! God is good!

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  38. From my window, looking North and Northwest, it appears people in Northwest Burke and Southeast Avery Counties are getting snow right about now.

    Happy Thanksgiving!

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  41. Happy Thanksgiving to all! I am so grateful for my many blessings! And I am grateful for all the posts and videos and everything you and your family do to keep the stories of Appalachia alive, thank you so much!

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  42. Ooh, how I would love a copy of yours and Jim’s cookbook. This morning I made a Pecan Pie, for the first time in my 66 years on this earth. It looks like it turned out. I will know for sure when my family tries it after our Thanksgiving dinner. Happy Thanksgiving to all!

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  43. We got together with my wife’s family last Saturday. We think there were 41-42 of us – some left before the photo session. We plan to get together with my family the weekend before Christmas. Just the wife and me today so far – daughter lives 3,000 miles away in Oregon. I’ve been in my workshop most of the AM and hope to blow some leaves out where I can get to them with the mower this afternoon.

    As a kid we always had everyone at our house for Decoration (Homecoming) in late Spring. For Thanksgiving several men and boys came to hunt rabbits. The women stayed home to cook for them when they returned home.

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  44. We enjoyed watching you get ready for Thanksgiving with the pumpkin pie and Black Walnut Cake (Arish?). Would love to get your cookbook. I have made the cake but in a 9×13 pan instead of a layered cake. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.

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  47. I love the poem. Happy Thanksgiving to all! May we remember all our blessings. I was inspired by what Katie said in her last video: The Lord is smiling upon me!

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  52. Happy Thanksgiving blessings to all. Two years tomorrow since my dear Tom passed and I’m going to celebrate his life with loved ones today and count my blessings.

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  53. As i am going through this Thanksgiving without my husband of 44 years memories are so special. I hope all have a blessed Thanksgiving.

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  54. Great choice of a poem! The storytelling is a very special part of gatherings. Yes there are lots of folks gathering and yet many who have nothing much happening, too. Some are sad about the simplicity of their Thanksgiving day and some not so much. Hubby and I are having an ordinary day today, on the official holiday so that we can have a delayed celebration on Saturday with a few friends and two of our offspring with their families in tow. It does feel odd but not sad. It’s a pratical choice and any day can be a day of giving thanks to God especially when we can gather a few folks together! We might have some music and some game playing in the mix. Everybody’s bringing part of the meal. Now to get the house straightened! Must make room for everybody! Have a great time at yours as you ho or God together!

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  55. Happy Thanksgiving! The cookbook would be a great addition to my bookshelf, damage will just give it some character.

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  59. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! I enjoyed watching Tipper make her favorite pumpkin pie and potato cake. Your pear vinegar is beautiful & it passed Matt’s taste test. My old sideboard was a catch- all too! It was always good to see it again whenever I cleaned it off. I’m so thankful that I have God in my life. He’s my constant source trust & faith. I love it that His Mercies are new each morning.

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  60. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family ♡ A funny(to me) note about watching you prepare the pumpkin pie for “pre-Thanksgiving” enjoying. You had asked Granny which dessert she’d prefer and since she couldn’t decide because she liked them both equally…a sign arrived(walnuts!) Every time you mentioned the cake I tried to understand what you were calling it. Here’s what I looked up on Google until a “suggestion” led me to the correct answer. Arse, Orse then Arsh was suggested. Oh my, what a chuckle I had, especially after reading that it was actually “Irish” but with the southern accent it became Arsh. I had a similar experience with my sweet cousin (from Colombia, KY) when we were around 18. We were discussing flares(set out by semi truck drivers when they had to pull off the roadway. He wanted to know if they were real or artificial and why on earth they would use them. As I said “flares” his Southern brain heard “flowers”, which he pronounced “flares”. Nearly 40 years later we still get a fabulous chuckle out of that conversation from long ago. At some point, I am going to make Granny’s Arsh potato cake♡

    PS, I loved how she came by the recipe and how you “modernized” the measurements from lumps and the size of a walnut to tablespoon, etc. I’d love to win the copy of the cookbook. May you all enjoy your family time today!

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  66. Happy Thanksgiving to all. I have so many blessings to be thankful for. Hope Granny is able to join you all for dinner.

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  69. Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I’m not from Appalachia. I’m a transplanted Hoosier living in Florida.
    I was one of those people who felt sorry for the folks in Appalachia because I was misinformed.
    I asked people for prayers when I sang, I Wonder as I wander in church for the folks in your mountains.
    You are the richest folks on earth!
    I love you and your mountains and Thank God for you all! I thank God for the Pressley’s, the Wilson’s, the people on the blg and the channel subscribers! Happy Thanksgiving!

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  70. Happy Thanksgiving!!! This is one of my favorite days of the year. Everyone hold tight to your family and friends.

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  72. Edgar Guest also wrote
    “It Takes a Heap O’Livin” In a House to Make It Home,
    A heap of sun and shadow, and you sometimes have to roam ….

    He said deep things with simple words.

    Wishing a richly blessed Thanksgiving to all the BP&A folks everywhere.

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  77. Have a blessed and Happy Thanksgiving Tipper and family. I pray Granny can be with you today. A lady at my church passed away unexpectedly Monday. Pray for her family during this holiday. Can’t imagine what they’re going through. But she’s gone onto a better place I know in my heart.
    I enjoy seeing your little grandsons. So sweet at that age.

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  82. What you wrote really was heart touching and meant so much to read it! Thank you Tipper and thank you, Mrs. Lamb from PA for the great poem! God bless you all this blessed Thanksgiving and throughout the year!

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  83. Happy Thanksgiving to all of this community. I don’t comment much but I read every day and enjoy every minute of it. Blessing to you all.

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  86. Happy Thanksgiving to all the acorns! Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, His mercy endures forever. Amen.

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  87. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family Tipper and Happy Thanksgiving to all of the Blind Pig & the Acorn family!!!!!
    We are looking forward to having a full house today, there will be 16 total eating the wonderful food and the time together will be precious. My turkey is in the oven, tea, lemonade, and grape kool-aid, and a dessert made, rolls a risin, salad prepped and made. Soon I’ll be making the mac & cheese that is always at our family gatherings, dressing and oyster dressing, and ham.

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  90. Wishing you and all of your family a very Happy Thanksgiving and praying Granny feels well enough to join all of you in the celebrations.

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  91. First of all I want to wish the Wilson and Presley families a very happy Thanksgiving. Like the I will be gathering with my wife’s family at her brother’s home up in Peachtree. We all have so much to be thankful fkr. As I use to tell my clients I. drug rehab God provides for your needs and you must work on your wants. There will be young and old there (I’m the old 80) and the nieces are the youngest,, (they go to Martin’s Creek School) and we will have turkey, stuffing, and all the fixings. My wife Diane is bringing the stuffing, the mash potatoes, and the okra rolls (okra surrounded by cream cheese and the wrapped in ham). We will have a great feast but we will also laugh and talk story about the old days. So from Diane and I to all who read these posts I pray you have a Happy Thanksgiving!! Have a very blessed day.

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  95. I loved your ‘getting ready for Thanksgiving’ video last evening. I am gonna watch the Pressley girls this morning. I wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving day! I have so much to be thankful for. I am cooking for my sweet mama and mother-in-law today. Hubby is gonna go pick them up and they will spend the day with us. This is our first Thanksgiving without my dad. Tomorrow will be much busier as our children and grandchildren will be joining us for another big Thanksgiving dinner. I cannot wait for the house to be crowded with children playing and everyone talking and laughing as we share a meal together and nibble on dessert and leftovers all day long. We are so blessed.

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  98. I enjoyed watching you and Katie making cookies, pumpkin pie and Irsh Potato Cake. I wonder if it would be as good with pecans.
    My family will be here in a few hours and I need to get busy. We will have at least 21 people, some can’t make it this year and will be missed.
    I’m thankful and blessed beyond measure. You and your family are one of my bkessings! Happy Thanksgiving Love and hugs

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  100. I’m thankful that we’re still gathering with family just as we did in the ole days in the ole ways! Happy Thanksgiving!

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  101. Happy Thanksgiving! A beautiful poem! We have so much to be thankful for. May the Lord bless each of you on this day. It’s very cold here and the winds are very strong. Be safe and gobble til you wobble!

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  102. So many Thanksgiving memories and traditions come to mind! Watching the Macy’s parade and Charlie Brown special, jawing in the kitchen getting the meal ready, the wicker turkey holding the mixed nuts, all the family in one place enjoying each other’s company. My grandparents are now in their mid-eighties, and I cherish each year they’re still with us a little more. Happy Thanksgiving to you, Tipper and your family!

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  103. Sure, the food is great but the sharing of stories, reminiscing of earlier times is what I enjoy most. Happy Thanksgiving!

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  105. Happy Thanksgiving!
    I love that poem. We postponed Thanksgiving until Saturday since our grown kids are sick but it’s fine. I’m looking forward to cooking with my daughter. Hope you have a great day with your family.

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  106. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family Ms Tipper, may you enjoy the bounties of your labor as well as the beauty and contentment of sharing this season with your loved ones.

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  107. Happy Thanksgiving to you all at Wilson Hollar and all of us acorns too. We give praise and thanksgiving to our Heavenly Father worshipping Him – He is mighty to save all who come to Him. Bless you all.

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  108. oh God when I have food help me to remember the hungry, when I have work help me to remember the jobless, when I have a warm home help me to remember the homeless, when I am without pain help me to remember those who suffer, and remembering help me to destroy my complacency and be stir my compassion make me concerned enough to help by word and deed those who cry out for what we take for granted, also remember these words from Matthew 25:35, for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcome me, Happy Thanksgiving

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    2. Norman, your post reminded me of a recurring thought I have every single time I fill a glass with ice from the refrigerator-freezer’s ice maker: Millions of people in this world have never seen an ice cube, much less enjoyed a cold drink. I am so thankful for clean, filtered water and ice on demand in our kitchen.

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  110. I had strong family ties as a child and remember the family gatherings of my youth fondly. Bless you and yours always.

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  112. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. I hope you can be with your families today. For me and others that have lost most of their family members there is nothing left but memories of how “it used to be.” I have been awake thinking of these memories. One memory of how when I was a young boy and we would get together at my Grandparents, my uncles would come and walk around rabbit hunting on the old home place and let me go with them. Later as an adult I would go rabbit hunting on Thanksgiving morning with my father in law and one of my wife’s uncles before coming back in time to eat a big Thanksgiving midday dinner. Today I will go and visit the graves of some of them, I can’t get to all of them. I will be putting Christmas flowers on my wife and daughter, my mother and daddy, and my grandparents graves.

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    1. Randy, it’s wonderful how you cherish those that have gone on before you. Our families are so precious whether still with us or not!!
      So glad the book arrived and thanks for your kind note that I received Monday!

      Reply

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