FortBendNow.com

Fort Bend residents will celebrate Thanksgiving Day in a variety of ways, but family, food and football are common themes in many people’s plans.

Ken Thompson and his family will make the short trip from their Cinco Ranch home to his parents’ house Needville for what he described as a “very traditional Thanksgiving.”

He, his wife and three children will make up only a small part of the gathering.

“Between my family, my two brothers and their families and my sister and her fiancé, there’ll be 19 of us. And on top of it, my mom and dad usually invite a few friends, so it’s going to be a huge deal,” Thompson said. “Luckily, my folks have a big house and we’ll set up a couple of extra tables, so everybody gets to eat at the same time.”

To make sure there will be enough food, everyone has been “assigned” certain dishes to bring. The Thompson siblings also pitch in to pay for the three turkeys that will be strategically placed among the side dishes.

“My mom used to prepare everything herself when we were kids. Now, it’s just too much for her, so we’ve worked out a system over the years so everyone brings something for the meal,” Thompson explained. “We always tell mom all she and dad have to do is sit back and watch, but she always spends the week before Thanksgiving baking pies. We tell her we can buy pies from a bakery, but she insists on baking.”

Each year, one of the Thompson kids takes their turn saying a special Thanksgiving grace. This year, it is Ken’s turn.

“Grace is a big deal for us; we try and really keep the ‘giving thanks’ in Thanksgiving. I’ve spent the last two weeks writing it out, adding to it and changing it to make sure it’s just right,” he said.

The end result is a two-page, double-spaced prayer Thompson said he will “probably tweak one last time” before it is read.

After the meal, which usually begins about 2 p.m., the kids will be ushered outside to play, some of the family will visit while others serve on the “clean-up crew.” Later, most will gather around the television to watch football.

“I believe the Dallas game is the early one today and, of course, later the UT-A&M game,” Thompson said. “I know it sounds pretty corny and traditional, but it’s the way we like it. It’s a big day for our family.”

Mark and Patty Hall will spend Thanksgiving in their new Fulshear area home. The couple, who got married in January and moved into the house in June, will be hosting their first Thanksgiving meal.

“Mark’s folks live in Oregon, so we’ll visit with them by phone. My parents live in Sugar Land, so they’ll be here with us,” Patty Hall said. “My sister in Houston will come over with her two kids, so it’s going to be a real challenge for me.”

Mark said Patty had been “practicing” setting up the table and serving the meal, but the couple “cheated a little” on the entrees.

“We’ll be doing the side dishes ourselves, but we bought a fried turkey and a ready-cooked ham. This is our first time, and we didn’t want to take any chances,” he said.

They, too, will follow the meal with football.

“It’ll be a little spirited,” Mark explained. “Patty and I met when we were going to UT; her sister went to A&M. There’ll be a little trash-talking during the game, but it’s all in good fun.”

Jimmy Bustos, who described himself as a “dedicated bachelor,” will take more of a low-key approach to the day.

“I’ll sleep late and then pick up some food from Luby’s. That’ll be my Thanksgiving dinner,” he said. “Later on, I’ve got from buddies coming over to watch football and just relax.”

“Oh,” he added, “and we’ll drink a little beer.”