As Thanksgiving approaches, we asked staff members across departments to share their favorite Thanksgiving traditions and memories.

JR Mell, Regional Director (Cape Cod & the Islands)

What are you most thankful for?

Friends, family, living on Cape Cod, and my two Littles- Chris and Josh

What is your favorite Thanksgiving tradition?

Every year after Thanksgiving dinner we take our dogs down to South Cape Beach in Mashpee to hold off the food coma that usually ensues. This tradition started when I was about 12, and we’ve continued every year since. In May of this year, I lost my Roxie, who was a 14 year old German Sheppard, so this year’s walk will be bittersweet.

Share your most memorable Thanksgiving moment.

When I was young, my family’s only vacation was going up to New Hampshire for Thanksgiving to a family friend’s cottage for 5 days. We would always leave the day that school got out and after my father would close his business for the night. We’d generally arrive at the cottage at 1am. One year it was very cold and we made the 5 hour drive only to find that the key wasn’t where it was supposed to be. We search and searched and couldn’t locate it. In a day before cell phones, my parents were ready to head back to the Cape which I was having none of. I found the key frozen to the back of the flowerpot and to this day we talk about how I “saved Thanksgiving”.

Caroline Krantz, Senior Director, Recruitment

What are you most thankful for?

I practice living a life of gratefulness every day. I love that first sip of coffee in the morning and I love crawling into my bed at night. I love my life. If I had to pick one thing, and I know it’s such a cliché, I would say my health. I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis 15 years ago. I am grateful that I have a form of MS that is not aggressive. I am grateful that there are medications now, that my great aunt did not have, that slow if not stop the progression. I am grateful that I live in Boston and have access to the best doctors in the world. I am thankful for the inspiring people that I have met, and now call friends, through the National MS Society.

What is your favorite Thanksgiving tradition?

I kind of like to shake it up every year. This year, I am actually thinking of serving turkey pot pies from Bonji’s and making a few sides. One constant, year after year, is that I eat so much that I actually hurt myself. Regardless of whether I am hosting or a guest in someone’s home, I always go for a walk in between dinner and dessert. It feels so good to move my body and breath some fresh air before diving into a piece of pie.

Share your most memorable Thanksgiving moment.

For years, my father and I would deliver Thanksgiving meals all over South Boston. I lived in Southie for years and my father grew up there. Thinking back, I am not sure why my mother or my other siblings didn’t do it with us but it was always just the two of us. We would pack our car with meals, be given a list of names and addresses, and we would spend the morning delivering a turkey dinner with all the fixings. More important than the meals, was the few minutes we spent visiting and talking with those that were spending the holiday alone. We listened while they talked about where their kids lived and how many grandchildren they had and their favorite Thanksgiving side dish. My father passed away almost 2 years ago. I will always have those fond memories of spending Thanksgiving morning with my Dad doing some good in our community.

Deborah Plunkett, Operations Assistant

What are you most thankful for?

I’m fortunate that I have so many things to be thankful for, where do I start?

Although I never thought I’d get to this ripe old age (no telling!), I’m thankful that I get to experience the sweetness of life that comes with maturity. I can breathe, I can laugh and I can still enjoy my five senses so I can see and hear the beauty in the world, feel and touch goodness in others, and smell and taste good food and wine (ahem…that includes pizza and ice cream).

But, I’m most grateful to work with amazing people who do the right thing, not because it’s the popular thing to do, but because it’s just who they are. Every day, they inspire me with their dedication, encourage me to look at the world in new ways, and show me how each one of us can make a difference.

What is your favorite Thanksgiving tradition?

My favorite Thanksgiving tradition is not so much just for Thanksgiving, but for the holiday season.

It starts when I hear the first ringing of the Salvation Army bells. Every year, I try to reach as many red kettles as I can throughout the season. Sometimes a friend joins me in a challenge, as we walk around the city. It’s crazy when you have busy corners and there are four people ringing those bells, one on each side of the street. Some days I run out of money, but I make it up with the next kettle on another day. It’s fun to talk with the bell ringer, thank them for their service, especially when the day is cold and rainy and they need a boost to get them through their shift. I’m sure they’d rather be watching a game or snuggled up on the sofa!

Share your most memorable Thanksgiving moment.

Imagine a book-filled home in Essex, MA, a large stone-faced fireplace with friends and family of all ages gathered round the hearth, exited to chat and catch up. A dinner composed of contributions by everyone at the table- so much to be happy about. That’s one of my favorite Thanksgivings. But the best part came after a group of us finished the after-dinner cleanup, and our friend, Rusty said, “Who wants to go for a walk.”  I, and my sweetheart springer, Pina, with her tail a-wagging, were the only ones that said, “I do!” Probably the cold temps outside and the roaring warm fire inside kept everyone else in their seats.

Off we went into the woods, Pina nose to the ground, running freely, Rusty and I trailing behind her, trying to keep up. Breathing in the crisp and scented air, we laughed and talked about all kinds of things, and then Rusty commented on Pina’s intense sense of smell, wondering what she was experiencing. Without warning, this tall, intelligent and red-bearded man is on all fours sniffing the ground. As I’m bent over in laugh spasms, he cocks his head sideways and looks up at me with his special grin, and says, “hmmm…doesn’t work for me.”

This memory is bittersweet because Rusty Simonds, a beloved political science professor, died a few years later, way too young, way too kind and intelligent to be taken from all of us. But, I am thankful to have had someone as open-minded, curious and loving as Rusty in my life, no matter how brief a time it was.

Nichole Firmani, Match Support Coordinator II

What are you most thankful for?

I am most thankful that I have a loving, healthy family.  I live with my husband, son and daughter, but we also have 2 dogs, 2 Holland Lop rabbits and a guinea pig.  We don’t live very close to the rest of our family, but luckily, for the most part we are within reasonable driving distance.  We make it a priority to see even my family members who live much farther away at least a few times a year.  My grandmother turns 93 this summer, and is still driving and goes to the gym several times a week…she is my hero!

What is your favorite Thanksgiving tradition?

I have been hosting Thanksgiving at my home for the past 7 years.  I love watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and spotting my kids’ favorite characters on TV while I prepare the food.  For their first Thanksgivings, I took photos of my son and daughter on the turkey platter in their special Thanksgiving outfit before serving the food.  After everyone arrives and we eat (and eat, and eat) we like to play silly games and just talk around the table.  After everything  is cleaned up, I enter full Christmas mode—I’m ready to start watching my favorite Christmas movies (Home Alone and Dr. Suess’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas).  The day after Thanksgiving is when we cut down our Christmas tree.

Share your most memorable Thanksgiving moment.

My most memorable Thanksgiving moments were not memorable for being good, at all!  One Thanksgiving, I spent all morning cooking for our family, and my son wasn’t feeling well.  He went down for a nap right as everyone arrived and started sitting around the table.  Before I filled my plate, I checked the baby monitor and saw that he was getting sick in his crib—my husband and I ended up having to skip the meal to bring him to the emergency room, while all of our family members stayed behind and ate without us even being home!  Luckily, just a couple of hours later, we were back home enjoying some leftovers and my son was feeling a lot better.  The following Thanksgiving, my husband had recently had surgery to repair his second torn ACL—and a week before, my son had fallen and fractured his foot.  So, they were both stuck in casts in a bed that we had temporarily set up in the living room, while we all ate in the dining room!

Bailey Harris, Match Support/Program Service Intern

What are you most thankful for?

I am most thankful for all the opportunities that have been presented to me, and I’m definitely thankful for my friends and family! I think about all the opportunities that I’ve had and I’m so grateful that I’ve had my friends and family to encourage me to pursue these prospects, because knowing my younger self, I definitely would have pulled out of a lot of them if they hadn’t pushed me.

What is your favorite Thanksgiving tradition?

My favorite Thanksgiving tradition is going up to my aunt’s house in the Catskills in New York.  The Catskills are such a beautiful area hidden in the mountains right above Poughkeepsie. The town in which my aunt lives is such a small place that you can walk from one end to the other in 30 minutes. Living in Cambridge, I definitely don’t take for granted the small town life and how nice it is to not be woken up by firetrucks and people shouting in the streets.

Share your most memorable Thanksgiving moment.

My most memorable Thanksgiving moment would probably be when my large family took shots of vodka infused ants—yes, ants. My uncle is from Sweden, where I guess infusing vodka with ants is a normal thing? I can still feel the ants in between my teeth (sorry)!