When you think of favorite holiday meals, it isn't just the turkey and stuffing that comes to mind. You remember the people, the place, the occasion. You remember the tradition. You might remember the preparation, the thoughtfulness over the menu, the carefulness about trying a new dish. You might recall the time that the star of the meal, highly anticipated, was burned or undercooked. These memories provide a wonderful backdrop for a holiday recipe.

The remembered scenes are a gift that can go along with sharing the recipe.

Here's an example.

There was the time that Grandma and Aunt Gladys argued over the gravy. Everyone knew the argument wasn't really about the gravy. And they also, all these same related people who had been gathering together all these years, had all seen this storm brewing. But when it finally came, the words came flying out of the kitchen and directly into the ears of everyone in the house. Uncle Gladys cringedin his chair. The football game paled on the television. Cousin Judy drew in her breath. Grandpa sighed.

"Too much salt," said Gladys again. "It always has to be your way. Well this is my home and I want to makethe gravy my way."

There was a big silence. The walls in the cozy house contained them all together in this scene. Dinner was at stake. The gravy was the last step to the meal that they had been hungrily anticipating all afternoon. Outside the front room window, large snowflakes drifted down. The fire crackled. A log fell.

Then grandma said, "OK, no more salt." She paused."Grandpa shouldn't have it anyway."

The room breathed a sigh of relief. Cousin Judy reached for a peanut from the dish on the coffee table. Grandpa winked at her. Uncle Gladys rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. Just then a gust of wind blew a flurry of snow across the window.

Here is Aunt Gladys' Gravy Recipe

Ingredients:
Turkey drippings
Three gingersnap cookies (or to taste)
1 full tablespoon of flour
1/2 cup of water
Spices, salt and pepper to taste

Pour off the juices from the roasted turkey into a gravy strainer, strain off the fat, and pour what's remaining into a medium sized saucepan.
Add three gingersnap cookies (or to taste).
Mix up a full tablespoon of flour in a half cup of water and blend it all till smooth.

Bring the drippings and gingersnaps to a boil.
Slowly pour in the flour mixture, continuously stirring to the thickness desired.
Add salt and pepper to taste.