Thanksgiving is a lot of people’s favorite holiday. Maybe it’s because of all the food set up “buffet-style” that you get to enjoy with family you haven’t seen all year or maybe it’s the NFL game playing on the local channel. Whatever your tradition is, Thanksgiving is certainly a family-filled and fun holiday. A few of our NLR family members took the time to share their own Thanksgiving traditions.

“My family and I rotate Thanksgiving locations each year between the Burbage farm (my dad’s farm) in Hampton County, South Carolina, Vincent Farm (my in-laws’ farm – which is also in Hampton County) and Oak Grove Plantation in Beaufort County where my grandmother lives. Thanksgiving is a time when I do a lot of the deer and duck hunting I don’t get to do throughout the year. On Thanksgiving morning, I’ll usually go duck hunting. Then when I get back home, I filet out the duck breasts and sauté them in butter using a cast iron skillet and serve them over grits. There is nothing better! Most years, the turkey we eat is one that someone has killed and has been fried or smoked. On Friday, we typically have an afternoon family dove hunt followed by an oyster roast. Thanksgiving for our family is really about getting outdoors and being in nature while the weather is still nice and cool. The kids spend a lot of time fishing in the pond and riding on the tractor. And the culmination of the Thanksgiving holiday is always the Clemson vs. South Carolina game.”

-Jason Burbage, NLR Executive VP

“My husband, Shawn, and I try to get outside and hike on Thanksgiving or Black Friday. We’ve gone the past three years in support of the REI opt outside campaign, which encourages people to spend more time outdoors with family and friends on the busiest shopping day of the year. The campaign started three years ago when REI decided to close all of its stores on Black Friday and pay all of its employees to spend time outdoors. Now in 2017, the campaign has grown into an international movement with 16 million people and over 700 million organizations that participate.”

-Malinda Llewellyn, NLR Regional Operations Manager

“My family and I usually go to my in-laws’ house in Concord, North Carolina and do some target practice after Thanksgiving dinner.”

-Susan Floyd, NLR COO

“Wednesday night, I prepare my turkey and cook it about 75% of the way and then I take it out and refrigerate it overnight. I get up on Thursday morning, I cook the sausage that I’ll be adding to my stuffing and make homemade sausage biscuits and gravy. Then, I pop my turkey back in the oven, let it cook, and continue cooking the rest of the sides that include stuffing, crockpot mac and cheese, homemade mashed potatoes and green bean casserole. Our family comes over about 2 o’clock. And while I’m finishing up cooking, my daughter and her cousins are outside playing soccer and jumping on the trampoline. My favorite part of Thanksgiving is the family togetherness.”

-Holly Slappey, NLR Comptroller

“We’ve moved a lot and our family lives all over the country. So, even though our Thanksgivings take place all over, the real tradition is finding a place where at least some of us can get together to eat a good meal. Some years it’s with a ton of our family at our homes and some years it might just be a few of us at a restaurant. It may not be a traditional tradition, but the part that matters is finding the time to be together.”

-Lizz Pingry, NLR Marketing Manager

“Over the Thanksgiving holiday, all of my siblings come into town. We all usually gather at Lake Greenwood and go cold water kayaking or go hunting. Sometimes it’s duck, sometimes it’s deer, sometimes it’s just a walk in the woods. We’re just lucky enough to have everyone together each year and spend time with them.”

Bill Hueble, NLR Land Professional

What are some of your Thanksgiving traditions?