A Vicari Thanksgiving

In the Vicari household, the word “Thanksgiving” has meant the same thing for over a decade: Uncle George and Aunt Mary’s house.

We have been invited to Placerville each holiday to share and give thanks with three sets of extended family.

Uncle George and Aunt Mary are my father’s aunt and uncle, and because that’s the way our father has identified them since I can remember, that’s what they are to us – aunt and uncle.

George and Mary Vicari have two daughters and a son, and each of them attend the celebration with their family - together we are a group of about 25.

For each Vicari Family Thanksgiving, we make Italian Sodas in the lounge downstairs of George and Mary’s house and catch up on the year’s events until we’re called to dinner.

Since we last saw them, our cousins the Pastrell’s (five daughters!) have had one marriage and two engagements, our cousins the Kong’s (two sons and two daughters) have seen both of their daughter’s off to college with full-ride scholarships, and our cousins the Vicari’s (one daughter) have their only child in third grade writing blogs for class!


Back upstairs, my aunt Mary and my cousin Naomi Kong have been busy putting the final touches on a feast they’ve been preparing for over two days!

My aunt and uncle are in their early 80’s, but they still entertain and feed 25 people!

The turkey, gravy, mash potatoes and stuffing are all equally delicious, the home-made pumpkin pies are never anything short of delectable.

After a quick prayer of thanks, plates are scooped up off their tables and into the hands of hungry family members, ready to eat.

When the dishes are all done (the grandchildren take turns doing the dishes in pairs every year), the games begin.

While the “adults” gab about their kids upstairs in the dining room, the “new young adults” play poker and enjoy alcoholic beverages at a card table.

But downstairs, all the rest of the kids start thinking of what card games to play, and more importantly, which person will be the first seeker for hide-n-seek.

We’re not sure how this tradition started, but we’ve been doing it since we started coming there, and this year was no exception.

George and Mary’s house isn’t very big at all, but somehow we always manage to turn the lounge, hallway and master bathroom into a pitch-black abyss ready to be searched.

After some parents come see what we’re up to and disrupt hide-n-seek, my cousins always have a few decks of cards on hand to play the latest card games they’ve picked up over the last year.

This year, we played “spoons,” but since we didn’t have any spoons, we substituted them for cell phones. After that, we played a skilled and detailed game called “Mafia.”

Both of these games are difficult to explain, but we enjoyed each game thoroughly.

At the end of the night, we helped break down all the tables, took group pictures, and loaded ourselves up in the car.

My family and I always return back home full of food and exhausted – but it’s a good feeling.

So far in my life, the only time I have ever truly enjoyed a full stomach is when I’ve been with my second cousins, and the relatives of a lifetime – Uncle George and Aunt Mary Vicari.