Title: The Traditions and Rules of Hosting a Memorable Thanksgiving

My wife Denise and I have been hosting Thanksgiving since 1999, and this year marks our 53rd year of marriage. We've had the pleasure of celebrating with friends and family for over five decades, and it's become an annual tradition that we look forward to every year.

As you can imagine, after 16 years of hosting, we've developed a set of rules that we stick to in order to make sure everyone has a great time. We call them "Carla's Rules," and they're actually quite simple yet effective. First and foremost, no devices are allowed at the table. I try to follow this rule as much as possible, but there may be exceptions if something needs to be settled or discussed. For instance, if someone forgot to bring a dish and wants to make an emergency call, Google will have to come to the rescue for a brief moment.

Another important rule is that everyone who sets up or cooks must also help clean up afterwards. I set the table on Wednesday before Thanksgiving Day, and it's always a bit of a rush to get everything ready on time. But I do try to make sure the table looks perfect, with old china, table clocks, and linen napkins. And of course, no one brings kale – that's just not an option for me! (laughs) As my wife Denise likes to point out, it's all about balance: you can still enjoy a nice press shirt on Thanksgiving, but don't expect us to go bushels wild with the kale.

As we get older, we've realized that there are certain things that are just non-negotiables when it comes to hosting Thanksgiving. For one thing, people shouldn't bring dishes – they should bring wine or flowers instead! And if someone has an assignment, like helping with cooking or setting up, that's what they need to do. It's not about being too strict, but rather about maintaining the traditional feel of the holiday.

One other important rule is that we always leave some leftovers for the next day – and I mean some, not just a little bit! Friday night's leftovers are absolutely essential, as you can't just eat everything in one sitting (laughs). And speaking of food, it's not about overdoing it – there's no such thing as too much to eat on Thanksgiving. My wife Denise likes to point out that everyone gets to enjoy their fair share, and we make sure that nobody goes hungry.

Finally, I think the most important rule for any host is to be happy to see their guests when they arrive. We always greet our friends and family with a big smile, say thank you for coming, and make sure they feel welcome. It's these little touches that make the holiday truly special, don't you think?

As we continue to celebrate Thanksgiving with our loved ones, we'll stick to these rules – or at least try to! After all, it's not about being perfect; it's about sharing a wonderful meal and some quality time together. And who knows? Maybe one day we'll break the rules and try something new... but for now, let's just stick to tradition.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enshe's got the shopping and she got the preparing you know and I help her with everything oh God how you lie that's why we're together 53 52 years okay my wife Denise and I have hosted Thanksgiving since 1999 what's that 16 years been married 53 years this year and I've made 50 at least I know the exact first one was 1969 so say 40 50 years oh my God yes we definitely have rules and the rules are this is actually Carla's Rule and it's a good one uh no devices at the table ah the phone but that's a basic I try for that all the time unless there's something that must be settled and then Google has to come to the table briefly if you did not help either set up or um cook you must clean up and wash I set the table Wednesday before Thanksgiving Day sorry Adam uh well because there's always something that happens at the last minute and the table has to look right I'd like to use old chiner and table clocks and linen napkins that that's a must for me I can live without kale don't even mention it I'm sorry sorry Adam I know very healthy how how much do you have to eat to be healthy I mean you know it be bushels of it so it's um it's not dogmatic it's not it's not mess it's Thanksgiving but I think still a nice you know press shirt I mean you know come on this is a holiday you know you can dress up a little bit you know I come down you put on the parade that's right everybody's got to see me in my underwear no matter who it is other people don't bring dishes they bring wine or flowers or except the ones who have assignments there's something about Thanksgiving that should be traditional and I have to keep it traditional until I don't do it anymore and you could take leftovers but leave some for the next day everybody gets leftovers Friday night's leftovers absolutely have to that's about the Only Rule and cleaning up everybody's got to help clean up everybody has to contribute to the scene I think the important thing for any host is is be happy to see the people there you know happy that they came say goodbye thank you for coming that kind of thing yeahshe's got the shopping and she got the preparing you know and I help her with everything oh God how you lie that's why we're together 53 52 years okay my wife Denise and I have hosted Thanksgiving since 1999 what's that 16 years been married 53 years this year and I've made 50 at least I know the exact first one was 1969 so say 40 50 years oh my God yes we definitely have rules and the rules are this is actually Carla's Rule and it's a good one uh no devices at the table ah the phone but that's a basic I try for that all the time unless there's something that must be settled and then Google has to come to the table briefly if you did not help either set up or um cook you must clean up and wash I set the table Wednesday before Thanksgiving Day sorry Adam uh well because there's always something that happens at the last minute and the table has to look right I'd like to use old chiner and table clocks and linen napkins that that's a must for me I can live without kale don't even mention it I'm sorry sorry Adam I know very healthy how how much do you have to eat to be healthy I mean you know it be bushels of it so it's um it's not dogmatic it's not it's not mess it's Thanksgiving but I think still a nice you know press shirt I mean you know come on this is a holiday you know you can dress up a little bit you know I come down you put on the parade that's right everybody's got to see me in my underwear no matter who it is other people don't bring dishes they bring wine or flowers or except the ones who have assignments there's something about Thanksgiving that should be traditional and I have to keep it traditional until I don't do it anymore and you could take leftovers but leave some for the next day everybody gets leftovers Friday night's leftovers absolutely have to that's about the Only Rule and cleaning up everybody's got to help clean up everybody has to contribute to the scene I think the important thing for any host is is be happy to see the people there you know happy that they came say goodbye thank you for coming that kind of thing yeah\n"