My mother was born and raised in Anoka, MN. She is the 3^rd youngest of 12 siblings, and as you can imagine, the full extended family was very large.

Each year, our family would get together on Christmas Day at the Anoka Legion. No one had a house large enough to accommodate the grandparents, aunts & uncles, first, second and third cousins. The family rotated who hosted to the party and who made what was decided in July, so the same families didn’t get stuck making a turkey each year. It was a feast of wonderful homemade dishes and desserts.

Because it was such an enormous gathering, we were able to have Santa come visit the kids. And most meaningfully, we were able to collect food and then make a donation to the local food shelf. It was a fun and impactful party every year.