Thanksgiving
Happy Day Before Thanksgiving, everyone.
I just got back from Atlanta where I was reporting on this year’s busy holiday travel, direct from the tarmac at Hartsfield-Jackson International airport. It’s a good thing I was wearing the regulation orange vest—I might not have looked fashionable, but at least the pilots could spot me.
Believe it or not, today isn’t the busiest travel day of the year. According to the experts, it’s actually Sunday, when everybody heads home from the holiday at the same time.
When I finish up here, I’ll be heading home myself because we’re expecting 20 people for dinner tomorrow (my side of the family—and boy, can they eat). I’m a little behind the eight ball. Gabe and I were supposed to bake pies this weekend but we never got to it. So now it’s "crunch time". I figure we’ll make the apple and pumpkin pie at home, and then I’ll run over to my favorite bakery, the Riviera Bake House, and pick up a pecan and rhubarb which I will try to pawn off as my own.
I’m lucky that everyone in my family helps with the cooking, because I have to be out of my house by 4 a.m. tomorrow to co-host the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade with Matt and Al. Last year was my first year covering it and the weather was cold and rainy. But this year Al promises it should be a balmy 60 degrees, with only cloudy skies.
When Richard, the kids and I sit down with my three brothers and their families tomorrow afternoon, the table will be set with my mom’s special Thanksgiving day plates. They’re at least 50 years old—a bone china, each with a painted turkey in the middle. If those plates could talk…the stories they would tell. Growing up in the Vieira household, our Thanksgivings always started out cordially enough, but by pie time, we were entrenched in heated conversations—usually about politics. We’d talk and talk until the turkey tryptophane coma set in. It’s the best tired feeling you can have.
We all have a lot to be grateful for. I was reminded of that in Atlanta, as I watched a group of soldiers walking through the terminal, on their way home from war. As they passed by, other travelers suddenly stood up and began applauding. It was great to know they would be with their families this Thanksgiving. But then, of course, there are so many men and women serving who will not. My thoughts and prayers are with them and their families, as well as with all of you and yours.
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Hello from your homestate "Rhode Island"!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Hi Meredith,
Happy Thanksgiving to you too, have a great day with your family. I am sure you are enjoying your time with Ben since he has been home from college. Just think Xmas will be here before we know it and he will be home again for the holidays.
I am thankful to all of the soldiers who are out there fighting to keep us safe, there isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about them. Can't wait until they are all home and we are out of there. My thoughts and prayers are with them and with you and your family too.
Love ya Meredith
Joan K.
Wisconsin
May all of you out there in "Meredith Land" have a wonderful holiday.
Give special thanks to all our brave soldiers serving all over the world during this holiday season, and keep their families in your prayers as well.
Meredith, have a wonderful holiday, and enjoy your family and don't refrain from hashing over "old times" over those Turkey plates!
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family, hope that your son is able to be there also. It's always nice when our families can be together during the holidays. I do enjoy your blogs.
Hello and Happy Thanksgiving from Toronto, Canada!`I just discovered your blog on this site. Terrific! I'll read it again with great interest. I love to know exactly what people have for their festive meals. What will you be serving with the turkey? Mary Goouch
Have fun hosting the parade. I'll be watching. Enjoy the day with your family at dinner. Happy Thanksgiving!!!!
Happy Thankgsgiving to you and your family! ( As a mom of college age kids, I have to ask....did Ben bring his laundry home?????)
Angela: For future reference, there's no "E" at the end of "tryptophan."
Meredith: Every time I've ever been in Hartsfield, it's been about 20% military. Don't know why - you don't see that in NY,LA, Chicago, etc., etc. It didn't look like you ever made it further into the airport than the T concourse, but you travel enough that I'm sure you're as familiar with the rest of the airport as I am (don't know what I'd do without that smoking lounge next to B24).
Hope you and yours have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
My thoughts and prayers go out to all of them as well. I also hope you and your family has a great thanksgiving as well Meredith. And I will extend that wish to anyone reading this too, Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!
11/21/07
HI..MEREDITH:
I WILL BE TRAVELING, WHILE YOUR AT
THE PARADE...DARN...HOPE THE WEATHER
IS GREAT FOR ALL OF YOU..
YES...I SAW SOME SERVICEMEN THE OTHER
DAY & WALKED UP & *HUGGED THEM..THEY
DID NOT KNOW ME, BUT THAT'S OK..
WE ALL NEED TO GIVE THEM OUR
APPRECIATION & LOVE FOR THE JOBS
THEY ARE DOING AWAY FROM HOME..
LET'S PRAY, BY END OF 2008, THEY
WILL ALL BE WITH THEIR FAMILIES
FOR THE HOLIDAYS..
GOD BLESS THE MILITARY
BEST WISHES TO YOU & YOUR FAMILY.
TONI
You are a hero to me Meredith. Your courage really shows through. I have a positive attitude most of the time. I am cooking Thanksgiving dinner and hope to watch you on tv for the Macy's Parade.
God Bless You.
Hi Meredith,
Thanks for a summary of what your Thanksgiving is like. And also, the comment on the soldiers getting applause as they walked through the airport. I do not support the war in any way but I am thankful for the soldiers that are doing their job. I hope they all return home safely, very soon. I really enjoy watching you on The Today Show, still miss you on The View. You are the kind of person who seems like she would be such a good friend to have. I'm sure your Thanksgivng feast will be a lot of fun. How lucky your family is to have you in their lives.
Hi Meridith ! I hope you enjoy your Thanksgiving and the weather isn't as bad as it was last year. I was actaully at the today show today and met you. You were such a sweetheart and took a picture with me. I just wanted to thank you for giving twenty seconds of your time, and for saying some really nice things to me. It really meant a lot. I just wanted to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving and I hope enjoy your time with your family. Take Care
My e-mail adress is nycgirl8109@aol.com if you would like to see the picture.
P.S
Happy Thanksgiving Meredith to you and yours from Kansas.
Linda
I have to give thanks for the inspirational story Hunter Smith of the Indianapolis Colts gave on his overcoming depression, since like Hunter, I am undergoing therapy and drugs to treat this mental disorder myself. I would love to see MV interview Hunter on a future TODAY broadcast.
Meanwhile, I will be having crow to eat this Thanksgiving. On July 27, 2007 at 9:31 AM ET, I e-mailed tlong@detnews.com and made a bet with him that, if The Simpsons Movie did NOT surpass one Billion dollars at the box office and the TV series does NOT outlast every successive generation of Americans, I shall be sentenced to marry Meredith Vieira! I already lost one half of that bet, as worldwide BO sales of Simpsons Movie will approach only about half a billion. If The Simpsons airs its series finale and Richard Cohen passes into the next life, I am in serious trouble! This is one bet I don't want MV to let me welsh out of! Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving to you. I wish I was your relative so I could join your family for what I'm sure will be a wonderful day. I admire you greatly. Wish you were still on The View.
Sincerely,
Amy
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!
As much as I loved having you host the maceys parade. I was disapointed in not being able to see my cousin in the American Fork high school band. Next year can the parade be less about the stars and more about what is going on in the parade.
Happy Thanksgiving Meredith, I caught the last half hour of the Parade, you three were great. I was surprised to see that they aired a new episode of Millionaire on thanksgiving (or at least I think it was new). I would think they'd at least plan an episode to air on thanksgiving so you could say at the end "Happy Thanksgiving"
Meredith - Hope it was a wonderful Thanksgiving! I'm thankful for you ever morning when I turn on the Today Show - you make it so light and personable - the perfect way to wake up!
Thanks, Meredith, really enjoy you on tv and appreciate your honesty and strength of character, and especially your love of family. My best to you and your loved ones. Martha
I was wondering where the sweater you were wearing during the thanksgiving day parade is from? My mom just loved it and I want to surprise her for Channukah. My mom has the same taste as you in clothes. You two dress alike. Who made it? Where can I get it? Thanks.
Thought of you at 4:30 in the morning on thanksgiving as my daughter was wheeled into the operating room for an emergent appendectomy...Remembered reading your blog about Lily and it made me feel better knowing that her surgery went well...Jen is 14 and we just brought her home and her biggest complaint is the shoulder and arm pain....and she wants grandma to make macaroni and cheese...I think grandma is still tired from cooking the whole thanksgiving dinner while we were at the hospital....I love reading your blog and just wanted to let you know we have so much to be thankful for this holiday season
thanks for such a great post. I love thanksgiving and it is such a great time to remember our blessings.
I wonder why they are not sending you to report on something a little more important than a busy travel day. Our country is in crisis. We know holidays are a busy time to travel. Yes. We know. News. We need real news. Please.
I hate to admit it, but the glimpse into your life is fascinating.
HELLO MEREDITH VEIRIA,
HOW WAS YOUR THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY AND MACYS PARADE WITH MEREDITH VIEIRA MATT LAUER AND AL ROCKER ON THURSDAY NOVEMBER
22,2007?I THINK YOUR THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY AND MACYS PARADE IS THE BEST WITH MEREDITH VIEIRA MATT LAUER AND AL ROCKER ON THURSDAY NOVEMBER 22,2007.HAVE
A GOOD WEEKEND.ENJOY THE THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY ON THURSDAY 22,2007 AND FRIDAY NOVEMBER 23,2007.HAPPY THANKSGIVING ON THURSDAY 22,2007 AND FRIDAY NOVEMBER 23,
2007.AND SEE YOU ON MONDAY ON THE TODAY
SHOW.
Can't believe Meredith's Macy's Day Parade broadcast - being a Hello Kitty collector - the only interest I had in watching the famous parade was to see HK's Macy's Parade appearance, and Meredith screwed up the description of Hello Kitty - saying that her bow was on the right - well, all she had to do was look for gosh sakes and she would have seen that HK's trademark bow is on the left side of her head.
Spot Copy: Hello, I'm Meredith Vieira...you know me as a respected journalist, talk show host, game show emcee, and even as an actress. However, there is one dream I've always wanted to achieve but never have, and that is to be an accomplished left-handed guitar musician. The reason is simple...while I would enjoy performing on stage, the stench of second-hand tobacco smoke is enough to make me run for cover! Never mind that I could get lung cancer! Before you make jokes about whether my guitar makes my butt look too big or whether I could outfox Madonna in that sexy leotard and fishnets, ask yourself this: Is it really worth it to light up while seeing me perform? (WHITE LIES.TV logo shows up onscreen, indicating end of spot)
Hi Meredith, I would like to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving late. It's Monday morning the 26th of Nov. I'm watching the show right now and heard you say you were crying yesterday because your son went back to college. I just had to write and say I'm in that boat with you. We also took our son back to college yesterday. Cody is a freshmen at Cal State Univ. San Bernardino here in Calif. We live east of Victorville, so Cody is not to far from home. I'm counting the days till he's back for Christmas in three weeks. I just had to write and let you know that I too am one of those Mom's that has a hard time letting go of her baby. Because our boys are our babies. Have a wonderful day. I watch the Today Show everyday. You, Matt, Ann & Al are so very great togeher. Keep up the good work. Thanks for your time. Jacque Weinmann
Merideth,
I know your husband has MS. I have had MS since 1999. I was wondering if he is having a hard time getting his medication for the MS attacks? I am on disability and Medicare Part D. My deductable a month is over $280.00 a month for that one medication, and another $160.00 a month for the other medication. I can not afford to get the MS medication, and there are three other drugs I can not afford to get.
The MS society gets money for the research, but there is not any money for people like me, who can not afford the medication they need. Do you have any advise for me? I watch you everyday, and love you.
Thank you so much,
Linda Roper
I love you in glasses, but you were not properly styled. I recently began working for LensCrafters, and the folks there can get you in a pair that looks a bit better. please please...go get some new glasses!
My husband called from Iraq on Thanksgiving right after having a turkey dinner with all the trimmings. He said they're all happy with the progress they've made and that things are going especially well now.
It means a lot to a soldier to have fellow Americans come up to them in airports and express their appreciation.