Disclaimer: I do not own Hey Arnold or any of the characters. Hey Arnold is the property of Nickelodeon and Craig Bartlett.
Our First Thanksgiving
Arnold and Helga prepare for to host their first thanksgiving as a married couple.
November 25th, 2015
The day before Thanksgiving
It was a calm, peaceful evening in the town known as Hillwood and in a certain little apartment, a newly wed couple were in their kitchen, in the midst of preparing something.
"Darling, I need the chopped onions..."A woman said.
"Chopped onions, got it..."A man said as he handed the item to the blonde woman.
After a few more moments, she asked for something else.
"Is the garlic already mashed up?...'She asked him.
"All done...'The man said as he handed the garlic to the woman, who proceeded to mix it, along with the minced onion in a large bowl.
"Okay, garlic, onion, paprika, seasoning, salt, pepper...I think that's everything..." The woman said as she then proceeded to apply the mixture to a large, uncooked turkey in the kitchen.
"Are you sure about this, honey?...'The husband asked his wife.
"Positively...The turkey is huge and it's gonna take at least six hours to cook, so I am preparing it the day before and then first thing in the morning, it's going straight in the oven..."The blonde woman said in a no-nonsense kind of way.
"I still can't believe it, our first thanksgiving together as a married couple and you volunteered to host this year..."The husband said with a chuckle.
"Hey, your mother and grandmother had always been hosting before, so I felt that it's time that the newest Mrs. Shortman gets her chance..."The wife said with a smirk.
Yeah, it's Helga and Arnold Shortman, who are both preparing to host the Thanksgiving feast this year, which also happens to be their first Thanksgiving together since the young couple had gotten married. It's a pretty big deal since they will be hosting here at the apartment, and both sides invited their families, with Helga even inviting her parents and her sister's family as well.
Thanksgiving is a time where people need to be with their loved ones, after all...even the ones that can drive them crazy half the time.
"Okay, the turkey is prepared...the pies have been baked, the potato salad has been made...all that's left to do is put the turkey in the oven, make the stuffing and gravy, the cranberry sauce, the yams, the mash potatoes, greens and that's about it..."Helga said in a pleased tone, knowing that the worst of it all, has already been dealt with.
"That's good to hear...'Arnold said happily.
Despite feeling a little tired from all the work they have been doing these last few days, shopping for ingredients and decoration, tidying up and decorating the apartment to make it more festive and now preparing the Thanksgiving feast to feed 12 people, including Helga's niece and nephew, well...Despite all the hard work, he is just excited to spend the Holiday with his beloved family, and share it with his beloved wife.
He really can't wait for tomorrow, to just celebrate with the family in their own happy way.
The next morning
November 26th
Thanksgiving
It was a calm, peaceful autumn day in the town known as Hillwood, though it wasn't just any day, either. It's a holiday today, Thanksgiving to be more precise.
Thanksgiving.
It's a day known for many things, it's the anniversary of when the pilgrims put aside their differences and celebrated with the Native Americans, as well as a day where family's join together for the holiday feast and expressing their gratitude for what they had in their life.
Arnold and Helga had woken up early and had quickly placed their Thanksgiving turkey into the oven, knowing that their guests would arrive as soon as it was done. They then began to continue preparing the rest of the food that followed, including the potatoes, yams, cranberry sauce and so forth.
"Okay, it's already 9 in the morning, the turkey should be ready by 3 at the most..."Arnold said in a pleased way to his wife after she placed it in the oven.
"Yep, now onto the crazy and the cranberry sauce...'Helga said as she began to prepare both of the items.
After she was done, she and her husband soon finished with what remained of the side dishes and it was already 1 in the afternoon.
Their guests are due to arrive at 4 at the latest...
"Alright...Foods all done, and the only thing left is the turkey...I think it;s time to get dolled up..."Helga said to her husband who nodded.
The married couple soon went to their rooms and began to prepare themselves, showing once again, getting dresses and fixing themselves up for the arrival of their family for what they hoped will be a very special Thanksgiving.
Later
At 4:00pm
Outside the apartment Miles, Stella, Phil and Gertie soon arrived, each one dressed up in their Sunday wear and Stella is holding some Tupperware in her hands.
"I hope Helga doesn't mind the coleslaw...'Stella said to Miles.
"I'm sure she won't..."Miles said as Phil rang the doorbell.
Soon the door opened to reveal Arnold, who is wearing a green vest over white business shirt, pants, black shoes and a matching belt and his blonde hair is slicked back.
"Hey mom, dad, grandma, grandpa...'Arnold greeted as he hugged his parents in grandparents.
"Happy Thanksgiving, short-man..."Grandpa Phil said after hugging his grandson.
"Thanks...come on in..."Arnold said as he escorted his family inside, where Helga has finished putting the last of the food on the table.
"Mom...dad...Phil...Gertie..."Helga said happily as she went to hug her in-laws.
"Happy Thanksgiving, dear...Here, I hope you don't mind but I made some extra coleslaw...'Stella said to her daughter-in-law.
"Thanks..."Helga said as she took the container.
"I got to say you two, this place really looks great..."Miles said as he admire the decor.
Helga and Arnold used a lot of nice nice autumn decorations to make the place look nice and there was a lovely centerpiece in the middle of the table, where all of the food was.
"Thanks dad...'Arnold said with a smile.
"So when can we dig in?...'Grandpa Phil asked, getting a glare from his son.
"Dad, don't be rude..."Miles complained.
"What? I'm hungry!...'Phil complained, causing his grandson and his wife to laugh.
"We'll eat as soon as Helga's parents and her sister's family show up..."Arnold answered.
The three couples soon went to the living room and began to watch the Macy day parade on the television, while grandma was asking where she could set the fire works for the show later.
"Sorry Gertie, but our landlord sort of has a policy against fireworks around here..."Helga said with a chuckle, though the elderly woman frowned.
"Hmmpt...not a very festive guy, if you ask me..."Gertie said with her arms crossed.
Before Helga could say something else, the doorbell rang...
"I'll go get it...'Arnold offered as he went to answer the door. Upon opening, he saw that it is his mother-in-law and father-in-law, Miriam and Bob Pataki.
"Hello there, Bob and Miriam...Happy Thanksgiving..."Arnold said politely.
"Hey there..."Bob said with an unusually pleasant look on his face.
"Hello Arnold, happy Thanksgiving..."Miriam said in a more enthusiastic tone as she even hugged her son-in-law before he let them in.
Once the Pataki parents were inside, they met with their daughter in the living room, as she is still entertaining the other family members.
"Hello Helga...we brought some salad, if that's alright..."Miriam said as she offered her own food.
"Thanks, Miriam..."Helga said, still with the habit of calling her parents by their first name.
"The dinner smells great...when can we dig in?...'Bob asked in his gruff voice, and Phil sent a look to Miles.
"As soon as Olga and her family gets here..." Arnold answered, though the Pataki patriarch frowned suddenly.
"Is Patrick going to be there too?...'He asked.
"Yes Bob, he's the twin's dad and Olga said that he is coming...I told you this last week when I invited you..."Helga said in annoyance, with her hands on her hips.
"I was hoping you'd change your mind...'Bob grumbled, his dislike of his other son-in-law is visible for the whole world to see.
Helga rolled her eyes and went back to entertaining her other guests until she heard the doorbell ring again.
"That must be Olga and them...Now Bob, listen here...when Patrick comes here, please try to NOT try killing each other...at least until after dinner..."Helga said in a stern way.
"Hey, it's not my fault that he's a bum that will never amount to anything!...'Bob shouted.
"I'm counting that outburst as strike one, I mean it Bob, Arnold and I worked hard to make this a nice Thanksgiving for the whole family and we don't need your and Patrick's stupid feud to spoil it for everyone else...so just suck it up for a few hours until it's time to leave...'Helga said in a stern way.
"She's right Bob, it's Thanksgiving and one evening with Patrick is manageable, isn't it? ..."Miriam said in agreement.
Big Bob muttered under his breath before he nodded reluctantly, mostly due to the look Miriam was sending him. Ever since she became sober thanks to the twelve step program, she is became a little more assertive with these kinds of things, and while she disliked Patrick too, she knew that it wasn't fair to have it spoil everyone else's evening.
Helga soon left to answer the door and right there, it's Olga, Patrick and the twins Logan and Lisa.
"Baby sister! Happy Thanksgiving..."Olga said as she pulled her younger sister into a near crushing embrace.
"Hey Olga..."Helga said as she somehow managed to dislodge from her and then turned to her beloved niece and nephew.
"Hey there you two...'Helga said happily to the little kids.
"Hi Auntie Helga..."Lisa giggled happily as she hugged her.
"Happy Thanksgiving, auntie Helga..."Logan said happily as he hugged her too.
"Thank you..."Helga said as she continued to hug them, before her eyes landed on her lame brother-in-law.
"Hey Patrick..."Helga said in a neutral voice.
"Hey..."Patrick greeted back.
"I want to say thank you again Baby sister for inviting us..."Olga said in a polite voice.
"Hey, Thanksgiving is a time for family after all...come on in..."Helga said as she let her sister and her family already inside.
"I just wished you said earlier but I think I can still make the turkey with time to spare..."Olga said suddenly, only to get a glare from her sister.
Did she really think that she could cook an entire TURKEY for 12 before dinner time? And did she honestly expect that Helga would let her mess around in her kitchen?
No way, this is her home and Helga is the master chef in this house, the only other person even allowed to touch her stuff is Arnold and it's only because they are married!
"Olga, I didn't invite you to cook the Holiday dinner, me and Arnold already got dinner and dessert ready, including the turkey..."Helga said, trying to control her temper when around her annoying older sister.
'Are you certain about that, I wouldn't mind helping out?...'Olga asked, and Helga tried hard to not lose it.
Why oh why was it so easy for Olga to bug the heck out of her, especially with her obsessive desire to be involved in ANYTHING major going on and be the one in control about it too?!
"Yes, I am certain...everything is already cooked...Arnold and I didn't have any trouble and we didn't need any help..."Helga said.
Before Olga could say anything else, they made it all to the living room, where the rest of the family is waiting for them.
Bob and Miriam greeted their other daughter, barely acknowledged Patrick before they went to dote on the twins, while everyone else began to chat. After some time of mingling, it was time to go to the dining room for the traditional Thanksgiving dinner. All 12 members sat at the table that was filled with so much food that Arnold and Helga had made that day and the previous, with a large succulent and delicious looking turkey in the middle of all that mouth watering food.
Soon everybody joined hands and said grace, before they all began to talk about what they are grateful for this year. Needless to say, everybody had something to say...
"I am grateful that I got to spend another Holiday with my family and my beautiful new wife..." Arnold said as he sent his wife a sweet look.
"I'm grateful that have such a wonderful, sweet, albeit sappy husband to spend the holiday with..."Helga said in a teasing but loving voice, causing some of the guests to chuckle.
"I'm grateful that this year has been great, especially since the wedding...Miles said in a warm way.
"Me too...I am grateful that my wonderful son and my darling new daughter finally tied the knot...'Stella said, sending a smile to the happy couple.
'I'm grateful that I managed to get my new job as the new music teacher at PS.118..."Patrick said, though he could hear a faint muttering like "let's see if you can KEEP it..." no doubt from Bob.
"Well, I am grateful that Logan and Lisa are doing so well at Preschool, their teacher said that Logan is doing very well with his drawings, that he hardly ever strays from the lines...'Olga said in a bragging kind of way before it was another person's turn.
"I'm grateful to spend another Holiday with both of my girls..."Miriam said.
"I'm grateful that my doc said my health is still good...'Bob said simply.
"I'm grateful that we won the war and the enemies were sent a packing...'Grandma Gertie said in a fit of her eccentricities and everyone was used to it and let it slide.
'I'm grateful for the fact that Helga made one of her pies for dessert...I can't wait to dig in it..."Phil said with a chuckle, before it was the children's turn.
"Me too...I am grateful auntie made a lot of yummy food..."Logan said in a high voice.
"Me too...Me too..."Lisa said with a giggle.
Once that was done, it was time to eat. Arnold carved the turkey and he and Helga began to serve their guests food.
Soon everybody began to eat and Bob himself was enjoying it thoroughly.
"Mmm...I got to say Helga...this is one heck of a juicy bird you made...'Bob said before taking another bite out of it
"Thanks Bob..." Helga said, feeling pleased that he actually complimented her cooking.
"Yes baby sister...It has a very...nice taste to it...but, it tastes a little different from the usual recipe...'Olga said, and by usual, she means the recipe she always made.
"That's because I made my own recipe this year...'Helga said proudly...
"What kind of recipe?..."Olga asked.
"Sorry but that's my little secret...though I will admit that I stuffed some bacon inside the bird, I heard from Sheena that it helps keep the turkey juicy as it bakes..."She said in a playful voice as Olga almost looked like she was...well...she didn't know but not exactly relaxed is the right way to go about it.
"Delicious..."Miles said as he continued to eat, as well everyone else.
Everybody went back to eating the thanksgiving meal, made by the newly weds who were just feeling so happy and pleased right now...
Later
Soon dinner was done with, the pie has been served and the toasts were made. Logan and Lisa were currently watching Thanksgiving specials on the television, Bob, Phil and Miles were talking about the football game from earlier today, Miriam and Stella were chatting, grandma was taking a little nap and Olga was telling Patrick about some thing she has planned for them and the twins involving dance lessons, and the dark haired musician looked like he didn't care all that much...
Arnold and Helga were clearing away the table and were now washing the dishes together as their guests were enjoying themselves.
"I got to say honey, one of your best meals ever...'Arnold compliment.
"Couldn't have done it without you, football head...'Helga said as she dried off the last of the dishes.
"You feeling okay?...'Arnold asked as he noticed a tired look on er face.
"I'm fine, just a little tired...Man, it really does take a lot of energy playing hostess..."Helga said.
"Well, you did a great job..."Arnold said.
"You did too..."Helga said.
Soon the couple were looking out the window and they saw the full move in the evening sky, making it look lovely. They smiled as they watched it, feeling something come over them.
"Do you remember our first Thanksgiving together?...'Helga asked him suddenly as her eyes were still on the moon.
"You mean from before or after we started dating?...'Arnold asked.
"Before...back in the fourth grade...'Helga said.
"Yeah, I remember..."Arnold said with a smile.
It was during fourth grade, after the Holiday play to be more precise. Both of them had separated from their families because they had been so frustrated with them, Arnold due to the fact that his grandmother thought it was the fourth of July and his grandpa humored her and Helga, due to her parents once again lavishing all of their attention onto Olga and ignoring her. The two of them eventually crossed paths near the docks and as a rarity, they didn't start fighting and she didn't even bother to tease or make fun of him.
Together, they had both tried to find together a "perfect" Thanksgiving, and found their way to Mr. Simmons house and they saw that even he and his family had it rough to, but he told them that despite the fact that his own family aren't, in his own words "party people", he still loves them and wouldn't choose to be any other place but with them.
It was enough to encourage the two of them to go back to their own families and try again. After that, they ended up having a pretty good Holiday, with Helga's parents paying more attention to her and Arnold and his family celebrating a nice evening together, complete with a fireworks show.
"It really had been one heck of a day, wasn't it...'Arnold chuckled.
"You could say that again...the two of us, both bummed over our family's insanity, actually tried to search for something to make up for it, huh...man, we were so young and naive back then..."Helga chuckled.
"Yeah but it really wasn't a bad holiday overall...when you look back at it..." Arnold said.
"Yeah, despite it all, I technically got to spend the Holiday with you, which is always an automatic good in my book..."Helga said, earning a smile from her husband.
"Yeah, and that was one of the few times we didn't fight during that year..."Arnold pointed out.
"Yeah, I guess I was too busy moping over my parents to even bother to put up with pretending that I wasn't head over heels for you..."Helga giggled.
Arnold and her just send a smile to each other, before he kissed her on the cheek.
Despite all the craziness that day, they still had a good time...together. Just like during the first Thanksgiving after his parents came back and Helga had even joined them as well, along with her family since they were still too poor to have typical celebration and Helga even ended up helping his mother and grandmother in the kitchen. While Helga normally hated being ordered around or doing anything domestic back in those days, she made the exception with helping his family, especially his mother and grandmother since they always made her feel appreciated in the house.
The two family had sat at the Boarding house table, said their grace and expressed all that they were grateful for, for Arnold, it was having his parents back and for Helga, it was for being with her beloved and his family whom cared about her.
It had been something so wonderful...
"And now?..."Arnold asked in a teasing voice.
Helga sent him a playful grin and the two blondes soon engaged in a kiss which lasted a few seconds before they pulled apart.
"Now I can say, I am grateful for a LOT of stuff this year..."Helga said as she wrapped her arms around him.
"Yeah, me too...'Arnold said as he held her tightly.
They kissed once again before they went back to rejoin their families since Thanksgiving isn't just a bug, fancy dinner...it's about spending time with your loved ones.
And if there is one thing this married couple knew about, it's love...
-To be continued-
Next time on The First Year
Christmas with the Shortman's
A/N: Sorry that this is a day late but i hope the chapter makes up for it..
REPLIES to my loyal and totally awesome reviewers:
Boris Yeltsin: Thank you.
61394: Thank you..
AmethystFlare3: Thank you.
Invader Johnny: Yeah, even the most so;i of couples can get nervous on the big day but as you said, thanks to their friends, they found their strength to finally take that one big step.
:) Till next time beautiful people, remember to read and review :)