Home for the Holidays: Thankful Orange County Families Share from John Wayne Airport

LAKE FOREST, CA — Airports are packed. Freeways are bumper to bumper. The families in Orange County are gathering to spend the holidays together for Thanksgiving, 2016.

Passengers at John Wayne Airport Orange County, departing and arriving in Terminal C on Tuesday in advance of the Thanksgiving holiday. Several stopped to talk with Patch during their travels, what they are looking forward to this week and what Thanksgiving means to them.

"We are visiting my brother in Rancho Santa Margarita," Jennifer Cummings said. "We just moved to Denver from Boston. This is our first time visiting Orange County as a family."

For the Cummings family, travel was easy and they're looking forward to all that Southern California has to offer.

"We're taking a day to go to Legoland for the kids and are treating the kids to a VIP experience," she said. "Thanksgiving for me, means wine! That's a good group isn't it!? I'm traveling so that I don't have to cook."

Denver resident Karin Bearnarth paused on her way to Tampa, on a coast to coast Thanksgiving journey.

"We were here in Orange County doing some pre-Thanksgiving visiting," Karin Bearnarth said. "We are flying to Tampa, Florida to see my mom for Thanksgiving. I'm looking forward to her red cabbage. She's from New York and it is a favorite of hers. My whole family lives in New York. We've been doing a lot of traveling but it has been easy, and we'll be headed back home to Denver on Sunday for the Broncos game!"

Nashville resident Clyde Helton paused on his way home to Nashville.

Corona del Mar resident Betsy Anderson was excited to get to Arizona to be with family and loved ones.

"I am on my way to Scottsdale to be with my 26-year-old son, my boyfriend and good friends," Betsy Anderson said. "(Thanksgiving is) a festive time just relaxing with friends and family, drinking wine and eating good food. We'll be staying at some different hotels. There will be a spa day. Just a romantic and relaxed five days."

"We are out here visiting my family in Mission Viejo," said Jenny Cramer. "Our 11-week-old was easy on the plane, our 4-year-old was a little bit trickier! There were no lines to wait in coming out. I think they have more people working in the airports for the holiday than usual."

As for what the growing Cramer family was looking most forward to about visiting Orange County this Thanksgiving?

"We're looking forward to In-N-Out! I am from Mission Viejo, and this is the first time my younger sister and brother will be meeting our daughter Journey. Both of our miracle daughters are adopted, the doctors told us we would never get pregnant...but I am 19 and a half weeks pregnant with a little girl!"

There is much to be thankful for in the Cramer household this year.

"Thanksgiving is so special now," said Papa Wayne. "When you are raising your own children everyone is so busy, and then they grow up and have families of their own. This holiday is about bringing everyone together again. It just makes you really happy."

What are you most thankful for this Thanksgiving holiday?

Story, photos contributed by Amy Spurgeon Hoffman