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Giving thanks it is over...

Thanksgiving Day is such a fine holiday--at least in theory.

It is a day dedicated to family, to giving thanks for that family, to food, to giving thanks for that food. to contemplating our blessings.  What is not to love?  I cannot understand why it isn't everyone's favorite holiday.

Okay, if you are a kid, I'll give you Christmas and Halloween.  If you are religious, I will grant you special and spiritually meaningful holy days.  If you are patriotic, well, you get the idea.

So why is it that such a fine concept as a day dedicated to Thanks Giving can sometimes go haywire?  I mean, I have never really experienced anything close to, say, the kind of family reunion portrayed in the movie August Osage County, but I don't doubt for a minute such reunions take place all too often.

I had a very nice Thanksgiving Day.  I started the preparations early.  (Translate as I cooked for three days.)  At some point I realized I was cooking as maniacally as my mother used to only there were not going to be twenty to twenty-five people gathered around my table.  Whoops.

I asked Kevin to drive into Burlington and pick a few homeless people that might be gathering for a meal, but he didn't think that was a good idea and besides he wasn't feeling all that great.

Then of course there was the storm that dumped a foot of snow over Wednesday night.  I know that is nothing compared to 6 or 7 feet like they got in Buffalo, but it was enough to make me worry that my daughter would not make the 70 mile trip.  When I called her, she said, "Oh, I told Father I would go to his house for Thanksgiving."  WHAT???

Well Amy and the kids did arrive just as my meal was ready to go on the table.
Turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, squash, sweet potatoes, brussel sprouts, homemade rolls, cornbread stuffing, pumpkin pie.  Kevin managed to eat a little.  Kristen had some of the shrimp I had set out for an appetizer (actually a lot of the shrimp), a small piece of turkey and some mashed potato, and and two brussel sprouts.  Dane tasted the turkey and some squash, then he ate two raw carrots from the refrigerator.  Amy and I did our best, but there is a lot of food leftover.

Then the kids started getting rambunctious.  They had had a long car ride.  Ha!  Time to go visit grandpa.

The clean up took as long as preparing the meal.  In truth, probably a bit longer.

Now Christmas.  What a joyful holiday full of tradition...

Comments

  1. Yup, I can empathize. This is the first year that I have not opened my home to family and friends for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I just was not in the mood. So, we went to my nephew's home for Thanksgiving, and will have Christmas lunch at a restaurant with my daughters, son in law, and grandkids.

    Good enough!

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  2. Yes, those are the downsides of Thanksgiving.

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  3. We went to B's son's girlfriend's house, just seven of us altogether, for a muted, understated affair. The only drawback: no leftover turkey for sandwiches and such. I guess I'm like the kids -- I like Christmas better.

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  4. Husband and I went out to dinner and ate like royalty. And then, the next day, Husband did the turkey breast, stuffing, cranberry sauce . . . so we have the leftovers! The best of all possible worlds.

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  5. Our time together was glorious. Everyone gathered here. But the amount of leftover food was embarrassing Some things could be frozen and some took food home with them but the part that was left here will probably go to my chickens.

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  6. My wife always prepares the TG meal at her mother's house for all of her family and my son and his wife. This year she was getting over a bug and to be safe we deferred TG to Saturday. Everyone went somewhere else for TG, and then converged for our late TG meal on Saturday.

    Everyone was good and sick of turkey. My son took an inordinate amount of it home for his dog, which like the Bumpass hounds in A Christmas Story relieved every one of the burden of turkey sandwiches, turkey salad, turkey hash, turkey ala king, and gallons of turkey soup. Other wise a lovely get together.

    I am glad the weather didn't prevent your gathering.

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  7. We too had a first this Thanksgiving. Instead of having it all at our house as usual we went to oldest son's house instead. We still cooked the day before and brought smoked turkey, yams, stuffing, and dessert. But it was nice because I didn't have to clean up, decorate and arrange the table settings, etc. And we had lots of food so we all had left-overs. I am happy to do it all here for Christmas day... but Thanksgiving was a nice reprieve...

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  8. I thought the homeless people was a great idea. You really went all out and there should be a ton of left overs which to me is the best part of the feast. I didn't see Osage County but know that sometimes family gatherings can get dramatic. Ours did on occasion.

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  9. Thanksgiving is a LOT of work! I think it it he most stressful of the holidays! Jenna hosted dinner this year for 14 of us. It was wonderful but the bad part is I have no leftovers!

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  10. Oh dear. that does not sound good.
    I decided not to cook this year because there wasn't really anyone to cook for, even though i like doing it. We invited ourselves to my sister' s gathering and had a good time.

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  11. Oh ouch! Sometimes it does happen that way. Luckily, my nephew and his wife insisted on helping with clean-up and when everybody left, we didn't have much to do. Everybody also took home a lot of left-overs so we didn't even have a ton of that left over.

    Gosh! I would love to have gone over to your house for dinner. I love Thanksgiving because it's a holiday for everybody.

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