Mamaw Avon's Thanksgiving - Becky Van Vleet

I’d like to welcome guest blogger Jennifer Hallmark. Enjoy her Thanksgiving memories!

Mamaw Avon’s Thanksgiving

Southerners love their “get-togethers,” especially if the holidays and food are involved. My husband Danny’s family is no exception. Though his mother, Mamaw Avon, now lives in her heavenly residence, her bright smile and recipes live on. Thanksgiving meant turkey, Christmas meant ham, and for both holidays, she made cherry fluff, or as we called it, pink stuff.

On Thanksgiving Day, we’d arrive early to help, savoring the aroma of the turkey which had baked all night. “Dressing,” which is a southern-type of cornbread stuffing, was tasted and re-tasted to get the spices just right. Vegetables were cooked and the house filled quickly with family and friends bearing casseroles and cake plates brimming with delectable dishes. The pink stuff, a mixture of whipped cream, cherry pie filling, nuts, and other goodies, was stirred together and chilled before the start of our late afternoon celebration.

A football game would play quietly in the background as family congregated on the front porch, living room, den, and kitchen—talking, laughing, and waiting for the meal to commence. Soon, the shout would come to gather, and we’d file into the kitchen.

The large crowd would be quieted before we’d give thanks to God for His abundant goodness, then on to the feasting. Most of us ate our pink stuff with the meal, but a few would save a bowlful for desert later. The left-overs brought us all together for several days thereafter, and the fun would begin all over again.

Do you have holiday memories which mingle food, fun, and fellowship? Jennifer and I would love love to hear about them in the comments. Open in your browser and scroll down. I reply to all comments. As always, feel free to forward to a friend.

I’m looking for new family stories for 2026–let me know if you have one to share! Email: beckyvanvleet9@gmail.com.

Jennifer Hallmark writes Southern fiction with a twist. Her website and newsletter focus on her books, love of the South, and favorite fiction. She loves reading and streaming science fiction, fantasy, and mysteries or her favorite subject—time travel.

Her latest novel, Smoking Flax, was released in 2024 with Elk Lake Publishing. She creates stories with unforgettable characters—her stories are a little eerie and otherworldly but with a hope-filled turn.

Genre-YA

After a sudden death disrupts his life, Reed Anderson must confront a time shift and a rogue murderer to discover his true self.

In 1984, almost nineteen-year-old Reed Anderson wants to belong in a world where he hasn’t always fit and deal with the eerie events of his thirteenth summer. Aunt Lula had predicted his life would shift and if he survived, this would be his chance to start over. Even though six years have passed, does he want to confront the lies he’s always believed?