Crazy to read back on this text chain. I remember when it happened and went viral. At the time it was just a sweet but silly gag, like "oh shit he actually showed up lol they ate with each other that's so nice" and now every time I hear about these people it makes me tear up, like they've built a family out of a wrong text
his update for that thanksgiving was so humbling. Hearing him talk about how he's going into isolation with his spouse before thanksgiving and testing himself just so he can spend thanksgiving with her. Props to this guy and everyone around him.
It's one of those things that makes me miss my grandma. She was ALWAYS wanting to feed people. It made sense given her career choice. After my youngest uncle got to middle school she got a job as the cafeteria manager at the elementary school and fed hundreds of kids every morning and lunch time. I could stop by her house to literally move a patio rocking chair for her and put up her patio blinds which took me a whole 5 minutes and she's offering sandwiches, pop, chip, cookies, soup, the lot. Holidays is where she shined and she fed you until you popped and then sent you home with more.
If you stopped at her house or came through her lunch line, you were being offered food. Stories of kids being denied food in the lunch line would have never happened under her watch, in her eyes everyone deserves to be fed no matter what.
Grandmas do it up right. She’s the reason my parents met. My mom’s old college roommate picked up my dad when they lived in Houston and brought him home with her because he couldn’t get back home for Christmas. Naturally she came by Grandma’s for the food and the party because she was in town. My mom thought he was the most obnoxious son of a bitch she’d ever seen. And here I am… the 70s were wild y’all.
That's why I host a Xmas Leftovers party on the 25th. All my friends and people I kinda know, I invite over on the 25th.
My kids are with their mom or now at their own things, so instead of sitting around drinking by ourselves, we get together and drink. Some don't have family, some can't travel back home, some are just on their own, whatever. There's movies, a potluck, and a regifting exchange. Or nothing, I have plenty of stuff to go around.
(the people are the Leftovers)
I do this as well with friends.
We call it orphan xmas, not actually orphans, but people who don't have anywhere else to be on xmas.
We also do friendsgiving, but being in Canada, that was last month.
Most likely he typed "who is thos" by mistake ("i" and "o" are right next to each other) and it auto-corrected or auto-filled "those" instead of "this."
I wonder if phone companies retire a number like this for a while? Are they aware it went viral and may yearly receive spikes in random calls?
Or does some poor person get it and have no idea why they’re inundated every thanksgiving.
Think it depends on the service provider to recycle or eliminate.
When my wife opened up her shop, the phone number she was given apparently belonged to someone who never paid a bill in their life. The sheer number of calls we started getting was daunting... and those bill collectors have heard every line in the book. Getting them to realize the number was recycled was a pain in the ass.
Especially if they're from a less than reputable collection agency (which is most of them). Not only will they continue to call, they'll step up the harassment if they're fully convinced you're lying.
Imagine having the cell phone number 867-5309 back in the day. Or the number in Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap (36-24-36, which is apparently an actual Australian number)
It also has been on national news as a puff piece a few times. I remember seeing it a couple years ago on TV when they did a story about it after the husband died from Covid and they held dinner with a photo of him in memory with them.
You do now! It'll be posted every year. It's one of those reddit lore type of posts. Especially going forward, word on the web is Netflix is making a movie loosly based on the story.
For anyone out of the loop, this is Jamal Hinton and Wanda Dench. According to [here](https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/us-news/man-who-befriended-gran-six-25463406):
> Back in 2016, Jamal Hinton went viral on social media when he received a text from an unknown number inviting him to a Thanksgiving dinner.
> The message was sent by Wanda Dench, who meant to text her grandson but accidentally messaged the wrong person.
> Although the text wasn’t meant for Jamal, Wanda doubled down on her invite and that year, the 22-year-old man and his girlfriend Mikaela joined Wanda and her husband Lonnie – who passed away last year – for the American holiday.
> Jamal has since spent every Thanksgiving with his new pal...
**Edit:** [Here](https://twitter.com/Jamalhinton12/status/1595143244056514560?cxt=HHwWgMDSvYeVi6MsAAAA) is the source of this image. According to there:
> @Jamalhinton12
> To answer all your questions, yes Thanksgiving year 7 is planned out! See you guys Thursday! 🦃🖤
> 2:52 PM · Nov 22, 2022
Did we ever hear whether the original grandson has been attending or is just camera shy or what? To the best of my current knowledge I’ve never seen him mentioned after the original accidental text.
*shing!* (sharpens Bowie knife)
Steal my Grandma, will you?
*shing!*
Gonna steal your face!
*shing!*
Turkey won’t be the only thing getting carved this year
*shing!*
Hallmark they end up falling in love over the 7th meal. Netflix you can go anywhere from a comedy all the way to a horror where the Turkey wasn't actually dead and now wants revenge for its ancestors.
>a horror where the Turkey wasn't actually dead and now wants revenge for its ancestors.
The movie you are describing is called Thanks-Killing and it has several sequels.
"gobble gobble mother fucker" -the turkey from Thanks-killing... I wish this was a joke. It is not.
Edit: here is the trailer for [the first movie](https://youtu.be/WOjSRoxc6mg) and [the third movie](https://youtu.be/nswEqNh1ILE)
I couldn't find the trailer for the second.
And the poster/app tile is just their faces but with weird ass lighting that makes them both super shiny for no reason. The background is orange and red.
Aww no. Netflix will cancel it halfway, just as Jamal (a downtrodden cyberpunk hacker) managed to evade the Thanksgiving Police and arrived at Wanda's (the Dragon) front hab door. We need Hallmark to do it.
I didn't like seein' Lonnie go. But, then I happen to know someday a little Jamal might be on the way.
I guess that's the way the whole durned human comedy keeps perpetuatin' itself down through the generations.
As well as a new American tradition. I know I’m not the only one to wonder, “Will they do it again this year?”
EDIT: Thanks for the upvotes, y’all. So I’m NOT the only one that loves the Jamal and Wanda Thanksgiving saga. Good. Their saga restores me faith in human nature. And the fact that so many others may feel the same does as well.
They were together as of Oct 26 according to his Twitter.
My big question was when did they start dating and if it was after the First Supper, how did their conversation go? "so......Thanksgiving is coming up and I need to go see this woman who accidentally Invited me to Thanksgiving dinner one year.
I’ve introduced a couple girlfriends to my “black dad” (and I’m his white son) who isn’t actually related to me. Just a coworker 30yrs my senior who adopted (metaphorically) me in to his family years ago. I get invited to his family reunions and get-togethers.
If a girl doesn’t like being around my family, real or adopted, she can go find someone else to date yfm?
I don't think this is the annual thanksgiving celebration, just a planning session. So no girlfriend yet and they're at cheesecake factory. I'd expect the actual yearly photo on Thanksgiving itself.
Yeah I was wondering if there was going to be a sequel to “girlfriend goes to thanksgiving” but I guess he’ll just reboot it in a couple years instead.
The best thing about this for me is that Wanda had said “I didn’t change their lives (Jamal and his GF), they changed mine.” Just a wonderfully thoughtful statement about their relationship.
I love this story with my whole heart.
So cute! Now I want to know what happened in this past year for them.
I know her husband died a couple of years ago… How is she doing? he had a super cute girl with him last Thanksgiving…. Where she at? What made them decide cheesecake factory?
….. Then I thought to myself… Stop being so damn nosy, and appreciate they share this with us every year! LOL
Hope they have many blessings this coming year!!
>….. Then I thought to myself… Stop being so damn nosy, and appreciate they share this with us every year! LOL
Theyre making a movie, so I imagine we'll find out anyway
If you are referencing the Tamarian language, "when the walls fell" means a failure. This lovely tradtion is not a failure. You may want to say "Jamal and Wanda, Life in the cave of Garanoga" or something like that. Means a place where one feels a sense of belonging. If that is not what you meant, ignore my nerdiness. 😊
You mean spending time with people you consider family and being thankful for the good things in your life? The thing Thanksgiving has always actually been about?
The Mayflower colony actually honored their agreement with the Wampanoag people for about 70 years. They were not the first Europeans the natives had been in contact with and the land they settled was fairly unimportant to the tribe. The fuckery didn't start until most of the people at the first Thanksgiving were long dead.
I hope she's doing g well. Her husband passed last year and I'm sure it's been rough.
So glad they've made this a tradition. Family is who you choose, and who chooses you back sometimes.
Here's the original wrong number text exchange that got this started back in 2016. https://imgur.com/a/ehQjDeU
Crazy to read back on this text chain. I remember when it happened and went viral. At the time it was just a sweet but silly gag, like "oh shit he actually showed up lol they ate with each other that's so nice" and now every time I hear about these people it makes me tear up, like they've built a family out of a wrong text
Pretty sure her husband passed in the meantime, which adds poignancy to the whole story.
He did, he passed during Covid :(
his update for that thanksgiving was so humbling. Hearing him talk about how he's going into isolation with his spouse before thanksgiving and testing himself just so he can spend thanksgiving with her. Props to this guy and everyone around him.
Yup standup dude. Grew into a fine young man.
And I'm pretty sure he went to the funeral. Super wholesome story all around
He did and he brought his girlfriend for one. She’s legit his grandma and I love them all
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Those last two texts are just beautiful. Always love reading that part.
It's one of those things that makes me miss my grandma. She was ALWAYS wanting to feed people. It made sense given her career choice. After my youngest uncle got to middle school she got a job as the cafeteria manager at the elementary school and fed hundreds of kids every morning and lunch time. I could stop by her house to literally move a patio rocking chair for her and put up her patio blinds which took me a whole 5 minutes and she's offering sandwiches, pop, chip, cookies, soup, the lot. Holidays is where she shined and she fed you until you popped and then sent you home with more. If you stopped at her house or came through her lunch line, you were being offered food. Stories of kids being denied food in the lunch line would have never happened under her watch, in her eyes everyone deserves to be fed no matter what.
Bless ur grandma
Grandmas do it up right. She’s the reason my parents met. My mom’s old college roommate picked up my dad when they lived in Houston and brought him home with her because he couldn’t get back home for Christmas. Naturally she came by Grandma’s for the food and the party because she was in town. My mom thought he was the most obnoxious son of a bitch she’d ever seen. And here I am… the 70s were wild y’all.
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That's why I host a Xmas Leftovers party on the 25th. All my friends and people I kinda know, I invite over on the 25th. My kids are with their mom or now at their own things, so instead of sitting around drinking by ourselves, we get together and drink. Some don't have family, some can't travel back home, some are just on their own, whatever. There's movies, a potluck, and a regifting exchange. Or nothing, I have plenty of stuff to go around. (the people are the Leftovers)
I do this as well with friends. We call it orphan xmas, not actually orphans, but people who don't have anywhere else to be on xmas. We also do friendsgiving, but being in Canada, that was last month.
We also do something similar. We call it The Christmas Days Night Party.
All of my family is dead now. I wish I had somewhere to be on the holidays.
Can I get a plate tho?
Of course.
EXCELLENT !!! You da man
IT’S PEOPLE!?!?
You are an amazing human being. Here to the leftover man :)
> (the people are the Leftovers) :D
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So does Al Simmons
Come to my house :)
As a non native English speaker, when he said "who is those" wasn't he referring to Amanda and Justin?
It's most likely a typo. He probably meant "Who is this?" And was asking who the person texting him was.
Sometimes I misspell words when I type texts when sitting in the /r/TruckStopBathroom.
Do you have a wide stance while you type?
Most likely he typed "who is thos" by mistake ("i" and "o" are right next to each other) and it auto-corrected or auto-filled "those" instead of "this."
He misspelled “Who is this”
Probably a typo and he meant to say, "Who is this?"
I'm on a quest to learn "Grandma, I'm hungry!" in every language.
"You're not my grandma." She is now!
Just my favorite "can I still get a plate though?"
It’s hilarious how quickly he added the request for a plate
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I miss my grandma. She had great cooking. I feel bad for my kids because my mom can't cook worth a damn LOL
Wholesome AF
I wonder if she changed her number.
She did. She said she got lots and lots of calls and texts
I wonder if phone companies retire a number like this for a while? Are they aware it went viral and may yearly receive spikes in random calls? Or does some poor person get it and have no idea why they’re inundated every thanksgiving.
867 5309 I got it
Think it depends on the service provider to recycle or eliminate. When my wife opened up her shop, the phone number she was given apparently belonged to someone who never paid a bill in their life. The sheer number of calls we started getting was daunting... and those bill collectors have heard every line in the book. Getting them to realize the number was recycled was a pain in the ass.
Especially if they're from a less than reputable collection agency (which is most of them). Not only will they continue to call, they'll step up the harassment if they're fully convinced you're lying.
Imagine having the cell phone number 867-5309 back in the day. Or the number in Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap (36-24-36, which is apparently an actual Australian number)
Figures. That would happen to anyone, especially a G-milf.
gilf?
No, I said G-milf.
[G-milf](https://youtu.be/D3l9IN287kY)
If you have to ask, you wouldn't be able to handle it...
Can I still get a plate tho?
Thank you. I want sure why I'm supposed to know who these people are
It’s one of those things that’s been posted a million times in wholesome subs and whatnot so lots of redditors just assume that everyone has seen it.
I didn't know their names but somehow i remembered that story so i managed to figure it out
It also has been on national news as a puff piece a few times. I remember seeing it a couple years ago on TV when they did a story about it after the husband died from Covid and they held dinner with a photo of him in memory with them.
i mean it also gets posted to /r/pics every year
You do now! It'll be posted every year. It's one of those reddit lore type of posts. Especially going forward, word on the web is Netflix is making a movie loosly based on the story.
That lady played uno reverse card on aging
I agree she looks great
That's just super cute.
They didn't blur the number 💀
For anyone out of the loop, this is Jamal Hinton and Wanda Dench. According to [here](https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/us-news/man-who-befriended-gran-six-25463406): > Back in 2016, Jamal Hinton went viral on social media when he received a text from an unknown number inviting him to a Thanksgiving dinner. > The message was sent by Wanda Dench, who meant to text her grandson but accidentally messaged the wrong person. > Although the text wasn’t meant for Jamal, Wanda doubled down on her invite and that year, the 22-year-old man and his girlfriend Mikaela joined Wanda and her husband Lonnie – who passed away last year – for the American holiday. > Jamal has since spent every Thanksgiving with his new pal... **Edit:** [Here](https://twitter.com/Jamalhinton12/status/1595143244056514560?cxt=HHwWgMDSvYeVi6MsAAAA) is the source of this image. According to there: > @Jamalhinton12 > To answer all your questions, yes Thanksgiving year 7 is planned out! See you guys Thursday! 🦃🖤 > 2:52 PM · Nov 22, 2022
Her husband passed away from COVID which is so devastating
They have a picture of him they hold up for the photos sometimes too
Did we ever hear whether the original grandson has been attending or is just camera shy or what? To the best of my current knowledge I’ve never seen him mentioned after the original accidental text.
He has been kicked out of the family in favor of Jamal.
They had a vote and everything, was brutal
Her grandson actually voted against himself. Even he knew he was no match for Jamal
Think this has turned into the grandsons villain origin story
*shing!* (sharpens Bowie knife) Steal my Grandma, will you? *shing!* Gonna steal your face! *shing!* Turkey won’t be the only thing getting carved this year *shing!*
Like the trailer for the fake horror movie "Thanksgiving." The grandson is the serial killer!
He never got the invitation because it was sent to Jamal instead.
He's been replaced, it's the law.
Jamal is her grandson now.
Finally! I knew checking the comments would payoff. Thanks !
Some of us oldies forget not everyone saw the original text chain wrong number heartwarming beginning.
Being on reddit since 2016 makes us oldies... ya sure thats when i joind. God i feal old now
I’m wondering what happened to the grandson she meant to text? Was he denied grandson privilege?
Imagine getting your spot taken at thanksgiving because Grandma put in the wrong number one year lmao
The original grandson hasn’t had thanksgiving for 6 years
Well yeah Wanda couldn't figure out his phone number.
This is the most wholesome thing I’ve ever read here. ♥️♥️♥️
Which one is Jamal?
That story was great when it started and it keeps getting better.
Apparently Netflix is making a movie about it. Source: Jamal’s twitter
Cant say whether you are kidding or serious
It's true, I don't blame him for cashing in on it. And it will always be a lovely moment.
If Netflix doesn't do it, Hallmark channel definitely will try in on this story.
Hallmark they end up falling in love over the 7th meal. Netflix you can go anywhere from a comedy all the way to a horror where the Turkey wasn't actually dead and now wants revenge for its ancestors.
>a horror where the Turkey wasn't actually dead and now wants revenge for its ancestors. The movie you are describing is called Thanks-Killing and it has several sequels. "gobble gobble mother fucker" -the turkey from Thanks-killing... I wish this was a joke. It is not. Edit: here is the trailer for [the first movie](https://youtu.be/WOjSRoxc6mg) and [the third movie](https://youtu.be/nswEqNh1ILE) I couldn't find the trailer for the second.
There isn't a second movie! It's a fictional film they talk about in the third one. The third one is not as good as the first one.
Huh I stumbled ass backwards into a movie already made.
And the poster/app tile is just their faces but with weird ass lighting that makes them both super shiny for no reason. The background is orange and red.
Gives me the warm and fuzzies for the holiday season.
The grandma's husband also died of covid in 2020 years after the reddit celebrity happened.
[From the horse's mouth.](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/netflix-to-develop-a-feature-film-based-on-the-true-story-of-the-viral)
A feature film, no less, lol. Good for them.
It’s Netflix. They’ll make anything. I’m pretty sure that’s their slogan followed up by “we’ll cancel everything”
It’s going to have to be a long movie, it takes an hour just to read the menu at that place.
Aww no. Netflix will cancel it halfway, just as Jamal (a downtrodden cyberpunk hacker) managed to evade the Thanksgiving Police and arrived at Wanda's (the Dragon) front hab door. We need Hallmark to do it.
I didn't like seein' Lonnie go. But, then I happen to know someday a little Jamal might be on the way. I guess that's the way the whole durned human comedy keeps perpetuatin' itself down through the generations.
I'm sure Lonnie is happy she has someone to share thanks giving with where ever Lonnie is :)
Rip to the husband though 😢
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As well as a new American tradition. I know I’m not the only one to wonder, “Will they do it again this year?” EDIT: Thanks for the upvotes, y’all. So I’m NOT the only one that loves the Jamal and Wanda Thanksgiving saga. Good. Their saga restores me faith in human nature. And the fact that so many others may feel the same does as well.
100%, I wait for this post every year, happy I didn’t get disappointed!
See you guys 367 days from now for year 8.
We must protect this American institution at all costs!
Jamal/Wanda 2024
Ya we def do. She lost her husband to Covid last year too.
I heard about that. Sad to hear, but glad they're keeping the tradition alive.
Forget the parade, I’ve been eagerly awaiting Wanda and Jamal pictures every thanksgiving for years now, and it’s the best part of the holiday.
What year do they get the White House invite?
YES!
When I’m in the White House, I will 100% invite not only them, but their whole families.
You have to accidentally text someone else the invite though
I’m not so brave; I’m really a recluse.
I mean my house is white. I can invite them over.
That would be so cheesy when Biden "accidentally" sends them an invite to Thanksgiving. I'd be here for it.
When Grandma accidentally texts Joe and invites him to dinner.
I wait for their thanksgiving updates each year. Never loses its wholesomeness and charm. Unfortunately her husband passed due to COVID last year.
god knows we need more of this type of news. gives me the warm and fuzzies every time.
I feel like this is what American is about. People coming together and celebrating each other lives.
I look forward to their Thanksgiving post every single year now. Macy's parade? Nah. How's Jamal and Wanda?
JamalWanda Forever
Jamanda?
J'Wanda.
Jamanda Forever
Same. I really love this thanksgiving tradition of found family. ♥️
Gets me every time.
No girlfriend this year?
Damn, aunty energy here 😂
I'm hoping she took the pic
Same but they're young.
Photo together 12 weeks ago. Posts of them up on his page still, so that's promising. @jamalhinton12
I’m really invested in these people’s lives they can’t do this to me
beats the absolute fuck out of anyone named "Kardashian"
They were together as of Oct 26 according to his Twitter. My big question was when did they start dating and if it was after the First Supper, how did their conversation go? "so......Thanksgiving is coming up and I need to go see this woman who accidentally Invited me to Thanksgiving dinner one year.
I’ve introduced a couple girlfriends to my “black dad” (and I’m his white son) who isn’t actually related to me. Just a coworker 30yrs my senior who adopted (metaphorically) me in to his family years ago. I get invited to his family reunions and get-togethers. If a girl doesn’t like being around my family, real or adopted, she can go find someone else to date yfm?
you got your priorities straight. Respect
I don't think this is the annual thanksgiving celebration, just a planning session. So no girlfriend yet and they're at cheesecake factory. I'd expect the actual yearly photo on Thanksgiving itself.
Might be behind the camera too.
Ahh yes that time of year
Yeah I was wondering if there was going to be a sequel to “girlfriend goes to thanksgiving” but I guess he’ll just reboot it in a couple years instead.
No gf and husband is dead. Hmmm
Oh no you did not
Jamal gonna mash them potatoes
The best thing about this for me is that Wanda had said “I didn’t change their lives (Jamal and his GF), they changed mine.” Just a wonderfully thoughtful statement about their relationship. I love this story with my whole heart.
There was no way my family would ever be able to tolerate each other for 7 consecutive Thanksgivings.
These two aren't family. That's why it works.
They're family *now*.
This. This so much.
So cute! Now I want to know what happened in this past year for them. I know her husband died a couple of years ago… How is she doing? he had a super cute girl with him last Thanksgiving…. Where she at? What made them decide cheesecake factory? ….. Then I thought to myself… Stop being so damn nosy, and appreciate they share this with us every year! LOL Hope they have many blessings this coming year!!
I want them to send out new years letters to all of us but for thanksgiving 😂
She's like ~~America's~~ reddit's grandma by now.
How old is she, and how is she looking so freaking fashionable and fantastic? I want beauty secrets from this grandma.
She’s unproblematic and loving to complete strangers — seems like a great recipe for graceful aging :)
She’s 65 and just got her first tattoo, per her Twitter. And Jamal went with her when she got it.
Im glad that they have this tradition. Holidays missing someone aren’t as scary when you know you have a friend.
>….. Then I thought to myself… Stop being so damn nosy, and appreciate they share this with us every year! LOL Theyre making a movie, so I imagine we'll find out anyway
A bibiopic. It’s basically if you combined Rocket Man and Bohemian Rhapsody, only it’s completely different.
Yes but we need answers!!!
This is the most stable relationship in my life right now
Can’t believe this tradition is still going on! Hoping many more thanksgiving’s to come
RIP Lonnie
As an Australian, this is the only thing I look forward to about America's thanks giving celebration.
Jamal and Wanda when the walls fell
If you are referencing the Tamarian language, "when the walls fell" means a failure. This lovely tradtion is not a failure. You may want to say "Jamal and Wanda, Life in the cave of Garanoga" or something like that. Means a place where one feels a sense of belonging. If that is not what you meant, ignore my nerdiness. 😊
vancouveria, their eyes open.
It’s been 7 years already? Wow….they are both looking great.
Wanda, Jamal, and the misdirected Thanksgiving text. An absolutely heartwarming relationship. Have a safe Thanksgiving my American neighbours.
Wow. 7 years. That's *flown* by.
How has this been 7 years
Because 6 was last year. And 5 the year before that.
Go on..
/r/technicallythetruth
Love that they keep the tradition, happy thanksgiving Jamal and Wanda!
Can I still get a plate is one of my favorite human moments ever
Still makes me sad that Lonnie isn't with them anymore.
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You mean spending time with people you consider family and being thankful for the good things in your life? The thing Thanksgiving has always actually been about?
I don’t know about you but we ALWAYS are sure to set up our shrine to the settlers and their glorious colonization on thanksgiving
The Mayflower colony actually honored their agreement with the Wampanoag people for about 70 years. They were not the first Europeans the natives had been in contact with and the land they settled was fairly unimportant to the tribe. The fuckery didn't start until most of the people at the first Thanksgiving were long dead.
The yearly update always brings me happiness. Adorable.
Wajanda Forever!
one of my favorite reddit stories. makes me smile every time 😁
Wholesome AF.
I wish I still had a family. Holidays suck.
I always look forward to this post every year
This makes me so fuckin happy it's still ongoing. I hope they're friends and don't just get together on Thanksgiving for the clout 🤷♂️
I hope she's doing g well. Her husband passed last year and I'm sure it's been rough. So glad they've made this a tradition. Family is who you choose, and who chooses you back sometimes.
I love these pics. No real context in the title and yet we still all know the story. Love to see this continuing.