“Why do we havta say grace?” Finn moaned. He slumped down in his chair, arms thrown across his chest, eyeing the casserole dish of marshmallow-topped sweet potatoes on the table in front of him with hungry eyes.

Every inch his father's son, Kurt couldn't help thinking, even as Finn kicked his chair beneath the table – an obnoxious habit that Kurt had begged him time and time again to stop.

“Because Thanksgiving is about being thankful,” Kurt explained, “and it's nice to remind ourselves what we have to be thankful for.”

“Can't we remind ourselves quietly in our heads while we eat our food?” Finn whined, eyes shifting one plate over to covet Kurt's homemade pecan pie.

“Don't worry, Finn.” Adam came up behind the boy and put both hands on his shoulders. “We'll try to make this as quick and painless as possible.”

“Not me,” Blaine countered, dropping his fingers into Finn's ribs and tickling him until the boy reluctantly barked out a laugh. “I've been taking inventory of the dishes, the cups, the bowls, and the silverware. I intend on being thankful for each and every piece.”

“Uncle Blaine!” Finn whined louder, training a longing gaze at the turkey.

“Yup,” Blaine said. “I've named every single one. Your plate is Fred, Kurt's plate is Ginger, mine is Kathleen …”

“You are so weird, Uncle Blaine,” Finn interrupted before Blaine could move on to name the next place setting. Blaine tousled Finn's hair, and Finn continued his sighing, staring at the ham like a famished hyena.

Blaine picked Eva up and plopped her in the seat beside his. He waited till Finn and Kurt adverted their eyes before grabbing a snowman cookie and passing it beneath the table to the giggling girl.

The whole family gathered around the table – Kurt beside Blaine, who sat in the seat next to Eva; Dave with Elphaba on his lap and Adam by his side; Nick, Jeff, and Hunter (who were as much family as everyone else), then Barbra, and Finn, who sulked as people focused more on talking and joking with one another than the business of saying grace so that he could finally eat.

When Finn's low moans of hunger became too pitiful to be ignored, Kurt stood and shushed everyone.

“I would like to say on behalf of Dave and myself that we are so tremendously grateful to have you all here at our table with us celebrating this holiday.” Kurt smiled warmly at the many faces that greeted him (as well as the top of Finn's head, since his forehead was pressed against the tablecloth as the child wallowed in starvation). “There are many faces missing from our table tonight …” Kurt looked at Dave, and then the children, with unshed tears in his eyes “… but there's a lot of new faces here, too. And more than enough love to go around.” Blaine reached up and held Kurt's hand. Nick raised a hand to his own cheek and wiped away a tear, leaning his head against his fiancé's shoulder. “I am thankful this year for my wonderful family, and that we're all still alive and well, that we have our new friends together with us in this beautiful house …” Kurt gazed down at the man planting light kisses to the back of his hand, “and I'm thankful for Blaine Anderson.”

A collective aww went around the table as Kurt sat down and kissed Blaine, a few small tears staining his cheeks.

Finn moaned.

Blaine didn't stand since Eva had climbed into his lap, so he held her tight with one hand and continued to hold Kurt's hand with the other.

“Ok,” Blaine said, “well obviously I'm thankful that Jeff finally got his head out of his butt and asked Nick to marry him so I don't have to listen to that drama anymore …” The adults laughed. The girls tittered over Blaine's use of the word butt.

Again, Finn moaned.

“I'm also thankful for my great new family …” Blaine hugged Eva tight “… my darling Daisy and Elphie and Barbra and Finn. I'm thankful for my new best friend, Dave, and his boyfriend Adam, who was nice enough to brave our crazy to join us for this dinner.” Blaine took a deep breath, trying to continue without getting too emotional. He couldn't remember the last time he had a family around him to celebrate the holidays. “I'm thankful for having the reclusive Hunter with us, and all of his help with Eva and Barbra …” Blaine turned his eyes to Kurt, who smiled at him as if he was the only person in the world. “And I'm thankful for Kurt Hummel.”

Another aww went up, followed by another moan.

“Come on, Daisy” - Blaine kissed Eva on the cheek - “what are you thankful for?”

Eva looked around the table at the eyes watching her, then stuck her thumb in her mouth and ducked her head into Blaine's shirt.

“I'm thankful for Blaine and for everybody,” Eva sputtered, squeezing her eyes shut to block everyone else out while she spoke. “And I'm thankful for the food.”

“Food that nobody's going to eat,” Finn muttered.

Dave tried to shoot Finn a glare but he couldn't. Finn's father would have been stealing rolls between speeches. The thought of Finn Sr., chipmunk-esque cheeks conspicuously stuffed with bread, made Dave smile.

“I'm grateful for my family,” Dave said, “for all our new friends, for the chance to go back to school and make something of my life …” Dave glanced at Blaine, giving him a crooked half-smile and a nod, which Blaine returned from behind Eva's curls, “and I'm grateful that I found Adam.”

Adam put an arm around Dave's shoulders when he addressed the table, though he spoke mostly to Dave.

“All of my family is back in Essex, so I'm grateful to be invited to this amazing feast … and I'm grateful for Dave.”

Dave leaned in to kiss Adam quickly, but Adam held him tighter and kissed him deeper. The adults whooped and hollered while the kids made faces.

Except for Finn, who resorted to weeping.

“Well” - Nick cleared his throat and sat up straight - “I'm thankful, of course, for my fabulous bestie, Kurt, and our amazing Blaine 2.0, which we wouldn't have if not for Kurt, and these adorable kids in our lives to hang out with, again, because of Kurt …” Jeff rolled his eyes. Kurt, with bashful pink cheeks, snickered “… and Hunter and Dave and Adam, and this amazing food …”

Nick paused dramatically. Finn filled it with the sound of pathetic crying.

“And I'm thankful for my wonderful fiancé” - he turned to face Jeff - “who has been my best friend for the whole of my life, and who I get to keep now forever.”

“And I'm thankful for my wonderful fiancé, Nick, who was never in any danger of losing me, ring or not,” Jeff said, looking deep into Nick's eyes as he closed in to kiss him, “and for the rest of you all, too,” he added before his lips brushed over Nick's.

“There's so much kissing going on,” Kurt whispered to Blaine.

“Oh, not nearly enough,” Blaine claimed, then leaned over to kiss Eva on the cheek. She squealed sufficiently, then turned around and kissed him back.

When the kissing was done, all eyes moved to Hunter.

“I'm thankful for you guys,” Hunter said, waving a dismissive hand, not one for emotional displays, “and for not having to eat pizza today.”

Barbra shifted in her seat, knowing she was next. She looked from face to face around the table, all smiling at her encouragingly, except for Finn, who continued to fake weep softly.

“I'm thankful for Uncle Kurt,” she began slowly, looking at the people she named as she spoke, “and Uncle Blaine, and Eva, and baby Elphaba, and Uncle Dave, and Uncle Adam, and Uncle Nick, and Uncle Jeff, and Uncle Hunter; I'm thankful for mom and dad in heaven, for grandma and grandpa in Ohio, and other grandpa in Ohio, and two other grandpas in Greece; I'm thankful for my brand new bedroom, and my new school.” She paused a moment to catch her breath. Kurt thought she was done, but before he could turn the floor over to Finn, she began again. “I'm thankful that everyone seems happier than they did in San Diego, and that we have all these people to spend time with us, like when Uncle Dave's at school, or when Uncle Kurt and Uncle Blaine play hide and seek in their bedroom …” Blaine turned quickly and snorted into Kurt's shoulder while Kurt fought to keep a straight face. “I'm thankful for taking tap lessons and for Eva's new cat Brian, and I'm thankful that we have a van that doesn't smell like dog pee even though we never had a dog …” Jaws around the table dropped as Barbra continued. Even Finn stare at her in awe. “I'm thankful that when Ms. Unique sent me that bag of caramels, she sent one to everyone so I wouldn't have to share, even though my bag had four more than everybody else's; I'm thankful that Disney on Ice is coming to L.A. in December and that Uncle Blaine promised to take us; and that Uncle Kurt lets Uncle Nick put makeup on my face, even though we agreed that it has nothing to do with my worth as a person; and that MAC makes a foundation that matches my compli … complica … complicated skin tone. Amen.”

Barbra sat up straight with her hands folded in her lap and let out a deep sigh, relaxed now that she was through.

Stunned, Kurt looked at Blaine. They both looked at Dave. And then everyone looked across the table at each other.

Finally, Kurt turned his eyes to the eldest Hudson child. “Finn? It's your turn.”

Finn, just about near his breaking point and staring down the turkey like it was soon to be his first kill, growled in frustration.

“What she said. I can't follow that!” he proclaimed, leaping across the table and grabbing a drumstick. “Now, let's eat!”