Ghost of Thanksgivings Past
Because I am such a scrooge about holidays.
But seriously, Thanksgiving is the one holiday I like OK. Becuase I love the food. Love it. Turkey. Dressing. Gravy. Cranberry. Yum. Plus, it's a no bullshit holiday. Just, you know - cook; eat; watch football. Doesn't get any better than that.
Laugh for the day
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Announcer: "Coming up next: recording legend Peter Cetera, the Cast of Sesame Street, the Big Bird balloon and BARE NAKED LADIES!!"
I don't remember many Thanksgivings from my childhood. Truth is, I don't have a lot of memories in general from my childhood. We always had a lot of people over, I know that. Single folks. The Mormon missionaries. People that didn't have family or anywhere else to go. My parents were real charitable that way. Whatever made 'em look good in the eyes of the congregation, ya know. I remember one year, my sister and I got very, very upset with my dad and the other men because there was some Thanksgiving Day kids special on and they insisted on watching football. This was back in the day when we only had one, small, black & white TV in the house. We were devastated. We cried and moaned. "It only comes on once every seven years!" Like it was the Thanksgiving Olympics or something. Actually, it was a cartoon about a mouse on the Mayflower. It may have even been called, "The Mouse and the Mayflower." JOY.
When I lived in Corpus Christi with my ex-boyfriend, his step-monster had a tradition of starting out the day with mimosas during the Macy's Parade. A tradition I've chosen to carry on today. CHEERS.
When My Kid was a baby and we lived in our first house, Big Daddy was working nights. I got up early with My Kid and we'd wrap up in blankets and drink hot chocolate and watch the parade. It was quiet and peaceful and happy. Today, he stays up till 2 a.m. playing X Box when he doesn't have school the next day and sleeps till well after the parade has ended. HAPPY.
We're having dinner here today. But I don't cook turkey. We order from Corky's (a bar-b-que place here in town). It's not BBQ though. Smoked maybe. Anyway, we get it from there every year. It's YUMMY. I don't try to cook a turkey. That's just craziness. My out-laws are coming. We split all the trimmings. I'm doing dressing, gravy, green been casserole and she's doing sweet potato casserole (nuts, not marshmallows. Feh.), cranberry jello mold and pumpkin pie (store bought. Double Feh.). I bought a nice $25 bottle of pinot noir for me and Dad. I set a pretty table. I made a little centerpiece of live flowers in a clear glass with cranberry frogs. Did you know that's what it's called? Frogs? That's when you fill the vase with something like pebbles (or cranberries) and then stick the flowers into them and cover them with water. I learned that on the Martha Stewart web site, which surprisingly, she's been able to maintain even though she's in prison. Anyway, pretty good for me b/c I'm totally not crafty or into decorating. If I ever had a holiday party, I would hire someone to decorate my house. And also to cater it. PARTY.
Hope everything is nice for you and yours today. Hope you don't have to put up with any bullshit relatives you don't like. Hope your dinner is tasty. Hope your team wins. Hope your superlong weekend is relaxing and fun. JOY. CHEERS. HAPPY. PARTY.
