Readers' favorite Thanksgiving memories

We asked readers about their fondest Thanksgiving memories. Most responses centered on disasters involving the big bird. But these stories show that it takes more than a botched turkey dinner to spoil the holiday. And what better day to show kindness to a cop, and to enter the world for the first time?

Be sure to check every single step

Getting the turkey on the table at a reasonable hour for Thanksgiving dinner at my mother-in-law's house has always been a challenge. But one Thanksgiving in particular has been talked about for the last 20 years.

My mother-in-law, Alice, and her sister, Margot, were at the kitchen table, overseeing preparation of the classic Thanksgiving meal, reminiscing with a scotch and water and ginger ale and rye about past holiday seasons.

Alice and Margot thought they had everything under control. However, when it was time for my father-in-law to take the turkey out of the oven to carve, it came as a complete shock that Alice and Margot had forgotten to turn on the oven four hours earlier.

It was our first corn chowder and stuffing Thanksgiving!

--Gloria Luchsinger,Farmingville

It started so quietly for a man on patrol

I slowly dressed into my uniform, thinking that this Thanksgiving would be my first real holiday away from family. I had been a patrolman for less than one year. My wife and young son would be spending the day with my family. I, on the other hand, would be driving one of the few cars on patrol that day.

Times were different in 1972. Restaurants and diners were mostly closed on holidays. Families were meant to be together, and customers could wait. I was normally a foot officer, but today I was assigned to car 306 in Nassau County's Third Precinct, covering the Villages of East Williston, Williston Park and Mineola. I arrived at work early to allow the day tour officer the opportunity to be home in time to eat. He thanked me and set off to catch up with his family.

Signing in at the tiny police booth in East Williston, I began my lonely tour of duty. The crisp autumn air and blowing leaves deepened my loneliness. The police radio remained quiet. By late afternoon I began to search for an open establishment for food. Jack in the Box was dark, so I drove to Roy Rogers; the lights were all out. The Camay Diner and even the Mineola Diner were locked up tighter than a bank vault. It appeared that I would have to make do with Dunkin' Donuts and a cup of coffee.

I drove back to my booth to telephone the station house and ask if they needed anything. There in front of the booth was an automobile. I pulled in and was greeted by several teenage girls. They always waved to me when I was directing traffic at the local train station. The girls reached down on the front seat and produced a large plate covered in tin foil. They had brought dinner and dessert to my lonely corner.

Such a simple gesture, but yet it meant so much. I still missed my family and our traditions, but these girls and their families showed me that I wasn't just the cop in the blue suit. They recognized my efforts and appreciated it. It was in only a scarred police booth, but that was one of the finest meals I have ever eaten.

--Allen McGovern,Medford

McGovern retired in 2009 as commander of Nassau Eighth Precinct.

A Shaggy dog tale had us wagging

Several years ago, we visited friends the night before Thanksgiving and arrived home late. We kept our dog, Shaggy, in a room adjacent to the den, which had a small refrigerator. When we arrived home that evening, decided to walk the dog.

What a shock! There was our turkey in pieces, all over the floor. The refrigerator had a pedal on the bottom and when pressed, it would open the door. Our smart dog stepped on this pedal and ate a raw turkey. Was she sick that night and the next day!

First thing Thanksgiving Day, my husband went to King Kullen and bought a large turkey for our family. Lucky for us, there were a few left. But our dog just moaned and groaned and whimpered most of the day.

No more turkey for her!

--Roberta Solomon,Massapequa

On this holiday, all were interrogated

I woke up early on Thanksgiving morning 10 years ago to start preparing for the day before my husband and three children woke up.

I so enjoyed setting the table in the peaceful quiet of that morning. I then went to get the turkey out of the extra refrigerator in the garage.

We were expecting our extended family, so I had purchased a very large bird. I opened the refrigerator door and saw . . . NOTHING!

I ran back into the kitchen and looked in the refrigerator (as if I wouldn't have noticed that large turkey in there earlier!). I woke up my husband and three kids and interrogated them. Even my 4-year-old didn't get a pass. I had unpacked the groceries the day before with their "help." Who saw the turkey last? Incredibly, everyone said the turkey was in the refrigerator. Really?

We then opened the freezer door. Pretty as a picture and hard as a rock, there was our Thanksgiving turkey! I did an Internet search to find out how to quickly defrost this huge bird. It was not going to happen in time. I got in the car and went to our local supermarket.

Lucky for everyone, they had a few fresh turkeys left. To this day, nobody will admit to putting the turkey in the freezer. This story comes up at every holiday and almost any large family gathering. I was not laughing then, but it has become a story that brings a smile to my face whenever it's relived.

--Geri Silverman,Merrick

Who was the real odd bird this day?

My first Thanksgiving as a newlywed, we were spending the holiday with my in-laws.

Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday. We always spent it at my aunt and uncle's house in Deer Park. Most years there were about 20 or more of us. My aunt roasted two turkeys. Everyone made their specialty and brought it and everything was made from fresh food; no frozen or canned vegetables. My aunt and grandmother cooked for two days getting everything ready. I was really going to miss not being there, but I knew we had to share the holidays.

So off to the in-laws I go. As we walked in the door around 2 p.m. the first thing I noticed was that I didn't get that great turkey roasting aroma. There was an aroma, but not a good one.

Walking into the kitchen my mother-in-law asked if I would check the turkey; she wasn't sure if it was done. I opened the oven and gasped. Instead of seeing a nicely browned juicy turkey, I saw a dark brown blob with what looked like sawdust coming out of it.

Turns out she put the 14-pound turkey in to roast at 7 a.m., the same time she put the potatoes in to bake, and also when she put the frozen broccoli on to boil, and started heating the canned gravy!

When we removed the turkey and placed the pan on the table, the turkey's legs and wings fell off. My dear mother-in-law exclaimed, "Oh my, it must have been a defective turkey."

That was the last Thanksgiving we spent at my in-laws. I started cooking Thanksgiving the next year. Every year after that, any holiday we spent with my in-laws was at our house, with food prepared by me. My mother-in-law has passed on, but 36 years later we still laugh about the defective turkey.

--Mary Ciavarella, East Northport

A special delivery recalled every year

Nov. 25, 1998 began as just another Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Then my wife's water broke, a week after her due date. One call to the doctor at 6 a.m. assured my wife there was plenty of time.

"Meet me at the hospital late in the afternoon," he said. We packed a bag and began our day, both of us staying calm (in appearance) while nervousness and anxiety built inside.

We went to the hospital in the middle of the afternoon, hours before the doctor. When he finally arrived and examined my wife, he chuckled and said, "I told you there was plenty of time. You might be in labor for a while."

After receiving medication to speed up labor, my wife did the traditional hall-walking and ice-chewing. Many hours passed. So many, that it was the next day -- Thanksgiving.

My wife continued pacing the halls. Finally, at 4:04 a.m. on Nov. 26, after one epidural, two cups of ice chips, and many pushes, Rachel Ariel Brandes was born to proud parents Dana and Kevin.

There may not have been any mail that day, but we got a special delivery!

--Kevin Brandes,North Bellmore

This solution wasn't as easy as apple pie

Traditionally, at Thanksgiving, I made an apple pie -- just like Mom, who had passed away.

One Thanksgiving, I went to my sister-in-law's home and went to put my pie down on the table and there, surprisingly, was another apple pie. My sister-in-law came over and said, "Well, my pie is certainly nicer looking than yours," to which I replied, "Yours may be nicer looking, but mine will taste better than yours" -- and so the feud began.

At dessert time I went to my brother and asked: "Now which pie would you like -- your wife's nice-looking pie, or your Only Sister's pie, made just like Mom's?"

He looked from me to his wife and said, "I think I'll have a little of each."

A very wise man.

P.S. Mine did taste better.

--Geraldine Mooney, Huntington

One good turn deserves another

One year, when my three sons were younger, I was preparing a Thanksgiving dinner for family and relatives.

I bought the biggest turkey I could find and prepared most of the food a day or two before Thanksgiving. I realized the bird would take about seven hours to cook, which meant we could not have dinner until very late in the afternoon.

I wanted time to spend with the family. So, instead of fussing in the kitchen Thanksgiving Day, I decided to stuff and put the bird in the oven on a low temperature the night before and let it slowly cook while I was sleeping.

During the night my husband woke me up to tell me he smelled something burning. With a pounding heart, I raced downstairs only to find a burned, inedible turkey.

How could this have happened? It turned out that my son, Matthew, had come home that night, after an evening out with friends, saw the oven on, and decided to turn it off. It was a thoughtful gesture, but unfortunately, he turned the knob to broil, instead of off.

We all had a meatless Thanksgiving dinner.

--Barbara McNally,Lindenhurst