We held our annual “Thanksmas” celebration on Thanksgiving Day. I cannot remember when we first started this tradition, but I doubt any of the grandchildren can recall a time when we did not do Christmas on Thanksgiving.

Usually, we have a traditional Thanksgiving meal with turkey with all the trimmings, as well as ham, various sides, and several desserts. My children and their spouses decided to have a chili cook-off for our Thanksgiving meal this year. Michael’s wife Pam sweetened the pot by bringing her griddle and making grilled cheese sandwiches for those who wanted them. I take great delight in that ultimate comfort food.

Since our children excused Sandra and me from cooking, we joined Jaxen, Courtney, and Leslie as judges. We evaluated each chili based on color, aroma, texture, flavor, and heat. The ballot had a rating scale from one to five.

Rachel had prepared placeholders numbered one through five. Near each placeholder, Rachel placed a bowl of chili for us to taste. We were to rate each chili according to the criteria on the sheet.

In the end, Pam’s chili won, so she received the Golden Ladle to recognize her as the Chili Champ 2021. Pam had used her father's recipe to produce the award-winning chili.

The time came for presents. Because a couple of the adult grandchildren had other commitments, we did “Dirty Santa” for the adults first. Then the highlight came: the eight “Young Guns” received their gifts and tore into them.

Until we got home, Sandra and I did not realize that each of us had received a special gift. As we were unloading our things from the car, we noticed a couple of hand-made hearts.

Sandra’s heart said: “Grandma you are the best. I love you.” Under the words “Your Color” was a pink dot. Under the dot, the message read: “I gave this color to you because you are sweet.”

 My paper heart was like Sandra’s, but the message to me was slightly different: “Papa you are sweet but have a tough shell. I love you.” Under “Your Color,” the creator had used a glitter paint made up of red, green, blue, yellow, and black to reflect my multi-faceted character – my tough shell.

The creator signed neither heart – but Sandra and I knew at once who authored these pieces of loving art. The writer was Abigail Grace – Abby, for short. After all, we had looked at her handwriting almost every Monday for a year.

I can understand why she thinks Sandra is sweet. In the year they spent Sundays after church and “Virtual Mondays” at our house, Sandra carved out time to play board games with Abby and Hannah – and Alli, if she made the trip. They played Boggle, Uno, and their personal favorite – Trouble. Grandma also made sure we had foods and snacks they liked.

I had a different role that year. I was not the game player – I was the teacher/drill instructor for the educational sessions. I worked with Hannah on her multiplication tables until she knew them all “by heart,” as we used to say. I worked with Abby on math problems and on science and social studies. Reading comprehension was one of the areas that gave Abby the most trouble.

Each Monday, we ate breakfast – and then started to work. They enjoyed no play until they finished their work. I did allow a scheduled PE time. Usually, PE at Papa’s house involved jumping rope.

As I read the “tough shell” comment, I could only chuckle and think to myself: “If you think this is tough, be glad you did not grow up in this house.” While Abby experienced my turtle shell, her mom, aunts, and uncle endured the Galapagos Tortoise excursion.

Sandra and I will keep the paper hearts. They reflect the depth of Abby's feelings for us - and our love for her.

Mike Parker is a columnist for Neuse News. You can reach him at mparker16@gmail.com.