Seventeen was the biggest I've been at for a while, but when I was a kid, we averaged in the 30s, with the record being 43. My grampa was one of eleven siblings, and several of his sibs and their spouses would come over, as well many of their kids and grandkids. My mom's three brothers would be there, and their significant others, and usually several friends, and we'd also have friends who didn't have nearby come, too. And my grampa would put up a notice at the college nearby inviting students with nowhere else to go to dinner. My gramma and my adopted gramma would have both of their ovens going for days, we'd have two huge turkeys and a ham, and people would be assigned something to bring. There were usually five or six kinds of pies, fresh home-made rolls, all kinds of veggies, and snacks beforehand. And we'd play games and take turns helping with the dishes, and usually a bunch of us would go for a walk afterwards. And when I was a little kid, it seemed like the first snowfall was always on Thanksgiving Day.
Ham rules, by the way.
It's good you're the one in AZ and not me. I thrive in the cold weather and feel miserable in the heat.
