Thanksgiving in Pajamas with a Lot of Love

The first time Annie Levitt Heller went to her future in-law’s house for Thanksgiving, she was floored. Having grown up in a home where the holiday was a quiet affair, her soon-to-be mother- and father-in-law’s crowded kitchen, boisterous guests and effervescent vibe caught her off guard.

“It was very loud and involved a lot of people, and I had never been in a situation where it was a casual Thanksgiving,” says Heller, an associate at Sally Morin Personal Injury Lawyers. “Everyone’s in their pajamas, or drinking wine, or cooking and getting messy, having a really good time.”

The event was rife with tradition. Over the years, everyone had been welcomed to the table, from kids’ college roommates to friends and neighbors. The whole family loved to cook, so all attendees contributed dishes. Menus were often ambitious, and certain recipes became mainstays, including Heller’s andouille cornbread stuffing.

“I didn’t even really like the cornbread, but other people loved it, so I would always make it,” she says with a laugh.

Other favorites included a roasted Brussel sprouts dish and green beans with butter and walnuts, and as the day went on, everyone nibbled their way through dishes that were fresh out of the oven. By the time everyone sat down at the table, Heller says, they were so full from snacking all day that no one wanted to eat a meal.

“The kitchen island would be full of beautiful food without even a dent in it,” she says. “We would all be eating Thanksgiving food for the next six months.”

Heller and the man who would become her husband were living in the Bay Area during those years, and their annual drives down to Orange County to stay with his family for the last week in November became some of her favorite memories.

As the years went on, they added in new rituals such as waking up early to go surfing on Thanksgiving morning.

“Myself, my husband and his brother would all go,” Heller says. “We would try to get up before we had to be on call for cooking duties. Usually in Southern California, Thanksgiving morning is beautiful. It’s sunny and gorgeous, maybe there’s a little snow on the mountains. You’re sitting in the ocean looking at all this, and it’s a beautiful way to start your Thanksgiving Day.”

By the time they got back to her in-law’s house, the rest of the family would be waking up and getting ready. Come 11 a.m., she says, the animated, celebratory mood was in full swing. Bruce Springsteen or the Grateful Dead was playing in the background. Someone would open a bottle of wine. And no one bothered to change out of their pajamas.

“It was awesome, because the main focus of the family time was time together,” Heller says.

But about 12 years ago, things changed. Heller’s mother passed away, and soon after, she lost her mother-in-law and father-in-law as well. The house where Thanksgiving was hosted for so many decades was sold, and the extended family stopped spending holidays together. People got busy with their careers and families, and no one had the time or wherewithal to host.

During that time, Heller and her husband had two children and moved forward with jobs and busy lives. But she never lost her longing for those old get-togethers.

“It became a question of, ‘Where are we going to spend Thanksgiving?’” she says. “It was hard. It was our favorite holiday.”

It wasn’t until last year that they were ready to try again. Having bought a house that was large enough to host, Heller invited her aunt and uncle, their adult children—“they are very loud and like to party,” she says—as well as her father and more friends. They created an elaborate, ambitious menu and asked everyone to contribute.

“It felt like a full house for the first time in many years,” she says. “It was magical. Having [so many people] there, it was like, ‘We can do this again.’”

This past summer, Heller and her family moved into a new house, and next week, they’re expecting up to 20 people at their Thanksgiving table. Many are return attendees from last year, and some are new guests. On the menu are two turkeys, short ribs, layered potatoes, homemade bread and more.

And of course, Heller’s cornbread.

“Everybody is welcome,” she says. “It feels good to just be able to have a casual, fun Thanksgiving that’s not so formal and still all about the time with your family.”

If, like us, you were curious about Annie’s cornbread recipe, here it is.