Amidst the busy hustle and bustle of each holiday season, Thanksgiving serves as a time to sit back, relax and reflect on the things that you are blessed to call yours. Like Christmas and New Year’s, it is also a time of tradition.

In the November/December issue of Vicksburg Living magazine, there’s an interesting article that details the tradition kept alive by sisters Mindy Giambrone and Rachel Hardy.

Both of the Junius Richard Ward family, the sisters bring their relatives together by hosting a formal Thanksgiving dinner on the family china, crystal and silver.

The article is accompanied by Courtland Wells’ award-winning photography and features tablescapes you don’t want to miss. Aside from the beautiful dishes, candlesticks and stemware, my favorite part of the table decor is the handmade place cards, which are created with detail, care and attention by the family’s youngest members.

If you haven’t already picked up a copy of the magazine, make sure to do so over the holiday weekend.

The article piqued my interest in other Vicksburg traditions, so I called a couple of friends to ask what their family was planning for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Ashton Hotard, local resident and owner of Jubilee Therapy, is celebrating her first Thanksgiving in Vicksburg.

She and her family always share and put into prayer what they are thankful for as they sit around the table and enjoy a cajun fried turkey. 

Local attorney Buddy Dees spends his Thanksgivings in Greenville now, but remembers many in town, taking family members who came to Vicksburg for the holiday to see the military park, casinos and riverfront.

Having just gotten married in April, this holiday season is one of new traditions.

My family has grown, we purchased a new home within the Vicksburg city limits and we are learning to manage visiting both sides of our families and enjoying two sets of Thanksgiving festivities.

As we move on to Christmas and the new year, I look forward to creating our own traditions and building on some of those we learn about in Vicksburg.

Catherine Boone Hadaway is publisher of The Vicksburg Post. She can be reached at catherine.hadaway@vicksburgpost.com.