Country stars share their memories, favorite dishes and what they are thankful for this Thanksgiving.
Garth Brooks says his answer to the question, “What are you thankful for this year?,” has definitely been impacted by what he’s seen unfold in 2020:
“I think this year, what we’re all thankful for is kind of the basic roots of what we’re kind of thankful for every year, but I think it’s just been magnified this year. I think we’re all going to reflect. And I think we’re all going to get closer to our own beings and our own family and friends … saying ‘I love you’ more … and realizing how lucky you are. You know that saying ‘If you die with one good friend, you’re a lucky person’? I’ve got a good amount of names on that list that I’m very, very fortunate to have … as friends and family.”
Travis Denning describes what the Thanksgiving holiday in his household usually consists of:
“A typical Thanksgiving growing up was essentially and the men of the family – Dad and Uncle Mike and my granddaddy – watching football, while grandmama and my mom pretty much yelled at each other in the kitchen the whole day. But they threw down and made the best food you could ever imagine, which you know is kind of how it is for a lot of people.”
Caylee Hammack explains why Thanksgiving is her favorite holiday and what one particular dish she has her heart set on each year:
“Thanksgiving is the one holiday where we stay at home. We stay at my family’s house, and it’s just me, my mom and dad, my brother and sister and their families. We all sit around and just eat all day. And I love Thanksgiving because you don’t have to worry about getting gifts for people; you don’t have to worry about wrapping them. You just show up and you eat all day with the people you love. My favorite Thanksgiving meal (dish) is definitely cornbread dressing. My mom makes the best, er, some people call it stuffing, but I’ve always called it dressing for some reason. But I love that with canned cranberry jelly.”
Justin Moore’s says his plan of attack for the Thanksgiving holiday usually entails manning the turkey fryer fort outside:
“I fry one for each side of the family, and really, it’s just an excuse for me not to be in the house cleanin’ and doin’ all that. I get to pretend that I have to stay out and keep a close watchful eye on the temperature. Make sure the grease don’t get too hot, which allows me to drink beer by the fire.”
Brantley Gilbert says Thanksgiving is a great time to reflect on everything he’s grateful for. Some of the things he’s thankful for are his wife and two kids as well as his personal growth over the last several years:
“Every year feels like there’s just a whole ‘nother level of things to be thankful for. And I definitely think lookin’ back, they weren’t the greatest times in the world, but a lot of those ‘Hard Days’ led to changes that allowed me to turn into the man I am today, which is still a long way from perfect. I’m as imperfect as a human can possibly be, but I am proud of where I’m at, at least in what my priorities are and what I’m trying to be – and that’s the best husband and the best dad I know how to be.”
Riley Green says he loves all the food his family makes for Thanksgiving, but he faces a dilemma when it comes to the biscuits and gravy:
“Uhhh, my grandmother Nancy makes really good chicken and dumplins and she makes the really good dressing. My favorite thing is biscuits and gravy. But the problem is, my grandmother Jean makes better gravy and my grandmother Nancy makes better biscuits. So, I can’t tell one or the other, but if I could ever get them together on one, it’d be a great meal.”
Brad Paisley shares a Thanksgiving memory, and a little advice on how to guide traditions in the future:
“I remember when I first moved to Nashville, and the holiday of going home, and taking a week there where you get a school break. I was at Belmont and I would drive up to West Virginia to see the family and I hadn’t seen them usually since August. That’s really what Thanksgiving is about, I guess it’s that holiday, when I think it’s more common for people to go back to where they’re from on that holiday than it is even on Christmas. I heard some state that it’s almost you know 3 to 2 in terms of how many people go back where they’re from then. And so that for me always kept me grounded, and it’s been very interesting to start these traditions here and learn not to leave. I remember the first year I didn’t leave you know, and if you have the kids first in the family your set, because that’s where the tradition starts, you know.”
With Thanksgiving upon us, Eric Church reflects on what he’s truly grateful for in a year that has been like none other:
“You know, this has been a helluva year, and one thing I’m most thankful for is my family, their health. We’ve all, I think, grown closer during this. I’m just thankful that I’ve been with my family and we’ve all stayed healthy and I’ve gotten to hang out with them.”
