Thanksgiving At The Perry House

When Janine Perry’s mom was growing up, her Aunt Annie used to take the turkey butt and set it aside for herself every Thanksgiving.

“Italians call it the ‘kuloo,’” Janine says, laughing.

Aunt Annie would put it on a plate and say, "That's my kuloo, don't anybody touch it."

She claimed it was the sweetest meat.

Janine's mom, Rose, said her cousins would then take it when Aunt Annie wasn't looking and hide it.

"One year, they put it in a sewing machine drawer," Rose says. "She wasn't happy about that at all. She said, 'Don't put it in there with all those needles and pins!'"

Meet the Perry family: Janine and Adam, daughters Emma (13) and Lucy (11) and their Australian shepherd Beau.

For eight years, the Perrys have hosted Thanksgiving dinner for 20 to 30 people in their Danville home.

This year, they will have 20 guests.

The Perrys began hosting after one of Janine’s beloved aunts died.

“My Aunt Marie loved Thanksgiving and always hosted for many, many years,” Janine says. “I was honored to take the torch from her and host for our family after she passed away.”

For Janine, getting quality time with her mother and hearing stories about her mom’s family’s traditions – like stealing strange turkey parts – is the best part.

“My mom is always in the kitchen with me,” she says. “If I didn’t have that time with her, I wouldn’t get these great stories about things I didn’t know about.”

The Perrys have created a few of their own traditions over the years.

“We name the turkey every year,” says Janine. “It’s always a boy, and I usually call him Tom. I talk to him as I prep him.”

They always cook two turkeys: One is smoked, one is oven roasted.

“It’s nice to have different flavors,” Janine says. “People usually prefer the smoked turkey.”

But only one medium-sized bird will fit in the smoker. Adam is in charge of the smoked turkey and Janine cooks the oven-roasted Tom.

“Adam and I work well together,” she says. “He’s good with the timing of the food, when certain things need to happen. I’m more creative.”

In addition to her parents, Janine’s two older sisters and their families often join them, as well as her cousins.

Cousin Dale is one of their steadfast guests – a man with an unbelievable laugh.

“It is loud and wonderful, and you can't help but laugh yourself when you hear it! My girls look forward to hearing it every year,” Janine says.

This year, Adam’s parents - who live in Forest of Dean, England - are joining the Perrys for the holiday for the first time in 13 years.

“My Mum-in-law loves a formal table and baking delicious desserts, and of course my father-in-law loves eating them,” Janine says. “This year, she is making my mom (who always makes a huge effort to cook what everyone else likes) a lemon meringue pie - just for Mama Rose.”

Everyone brings a dish, and everyone helps. People start arriving around 1 p.m.

“My cousin Lois brings the yams, adding to the abundance of starch for the day,” Janine says.

The craziest favorite of all is her mom's raspberry-applesauce Jell-O.

“You have to try it to understand how yummy it is,” she says.

In addition to Adam's parents, another special guest this year is Janine’s niece Sara, home from Chico State University.

“She has not spent Thanksgiving with us for a long time,” Janine says.

Sara is bringing her boyfriend for the family to meet (which has never happened before).

“She is my folks’ oldest grandchild and doing a great job paving the way for my girls and her brother,” says Janine. “She is quite a special girl to us.”

Another Perry tradition, started by Janine a few years ago, is to go on a nature walk with her girls before dinner.

“We gather the prettiest branches we can find with the colors of fall, and then I create a centerpiece with them,” Janine says.

In honor of Janine’s late Aunt Marie, the Perrys light a special candle to acknowledge all of their loved ones that are with them in spirit.

“To honor her amazing love she gave to us all, we light the candle. Then we each say what we’re thankful for.”

After the big meal, Janine makes turkey soup and prepares some of the leftovers for their annual Christmas tree picnic the next day at McKenzie Ranch in Santa Cruz County – another family tradition.

“The tree farm trip started about five years ago,” Janine says. “I wanted a 12-foot tree, but I didn’t want to spend a lot of money. So a client recommended we head to the Santa Cruz Mountains, where you can cut one down for 45 to 55 dollars.”

She says they realized the cost of gas made the tree more expensive, but the experience with the kids was priceless.

“The girls love it! We’ve had large groups of families come some years, and other times it’s just been the four of us - with the dog, of course.”

Janine packs a picnic of turkey sandwiches and leftover treats, a hot thermos of cocoa for the kids and one with tea for the grownups.

“No matter the weather, it is always a great day,” she says.

Janine - who, before her girls were born, used to spend the holiday making hundreds of peanut butter sandwiches and collecting donated food to hand out to the homeless in San Francisco - loves Thanksgiving more than Christmas, which is too commercial and too much pressure for her.

“There is something so healing about being together with loved ones to share a meal and each other’s company,” she says. “I love that Thanksgiving and all its simplicity stands strong in the American tradition of family.”