Football, food and family.

The three F’s of Thanksgiving.

It is tradition.

Tradition: a long-established action or pattern of behavior in a community or group of people, often one that has been handed down from generation to generation.

Tradition is what we all yearn for over the holidays. It is what we remember the most about holidays. Every family has different traditions.

I remember growing up and going hunting for deer at camp in the early morning of Thanksgiving and then driving home to a fantastic Turkey meal, followed by a variety of desserts and pies and then watching football.

The other tradition that I remember is the post-football game nap. Napping on Thanksgiving is better than any other day of the year. I think it is the turkey combined with pies and family that makes you just want to lay down and sleep.

OK, wake up!

Other traditions that I grew up with was the later in the evening pie and poker game social. This is usually about 7 p.m. (we ate Thanksgiving dinner around 2 p.m.) when you were rising from either the end of the football game or waking up from your nap or both.

It involved eating another piece of pie while winning or losing money to relatives at poker. It really was just another reason to visit with family while you ate yourself into a coma. Playing poker was a fun way to catch up with what your family had been up to over the last few months, years, decades, etc.

People tend to loosen up over a game of poker, especially if you let some of them drink wine, and it usually becomes quite fun to hear about what your aunts and uncles did when they were younger. The pie and poker social has been known to last quite late into the evening and also has a rule of “what is said in this house stays in this house.” I think it is a good rule.

So does my uncle Rudy. Hee, hee.

So, as you can see, traditions are rich in the Schmeltzer household.

What traditions does your family cherish?

I have friends that on Thanksgiving night go and get a tree and decorate it for Christmas. I have siblings that go to bed early on Thanksgiving just so they can fight all of the early morning shoppers on black Friday.

Traditions are as different as family members.

I know people who do not eat turkey on Thanksgiving Day — they eat lasagna. I grew up in a family that always had turkey at Thanksgiving and ham on Christmas.

I know many people who have small marshmallows all over the sweet potatoes, whereas some like them plain.

Cranberries. Some have jelled, some do not.

Stuffing in the turkey. Stuffing out of the turkey.

What do you like?

Please feel free to e-mail me your traditions or to use the comment section following this column online to share some of your favorite traditions and family recipes.

Happy Thanksgiving and enjoy your traditions!

Tribune Publisher Scott Schmeltzer’s column appears every Thursday.