Thanksgiving, if we’re lucky, Thanksgiving is that one day a year we all gather with our families and give thanks for our many blessings. We embrace that warm and fuzzy feeling that comes with this Holiday and then hang onto it as long as we can.
As it approaches, visions of perfect Turkey dinners dance through our heads. Long walks through the autumn leaves with our kids. Evenings wrapped in warm sweaters against the chilly autumn air. Time spent indulging in wine by the fire, eating too much from appetizers to pie. Laughing with those who know us the best. Making the kids (and the adults) put those cell phones away to squeeze in precious time with Grandparents and cousins. That’s how you enjoy a Rockwell Norman type Thanksgiving weekend, right?
Pft. Reality check. The truth is there’s a dark side to Thanksgiving here in the suburbs. Some weird kind of pre-dinner turkey day drama. Why? Because Thanksgiving doesn’t just magically “happen“. (Even if that’s what your Husband seems to think.) There’s a whole lot of work revolving around that stupid bird.
Magical turkey day prep looks something like this:
Cleaning.
Stomping of feet. (that might be me)
Heavy sighs.
Dropping of half of paycheque at grocery store for the Thanksgiving feast.
Yelling at my sweet, sweet family to help me with the damn cleaning.
More cleaning and foot stomping.
Slightly heated conversations about what the teen girls will wear to dinner.
Pouting because I hate all my clothes.
Wondering why I didn’t go buy myself something new to wear. Good grief.
Rush job on laundry so teen girls have “acceptable” Thanksgiving dinner attire.
One last run to the grocery store because I forgot the cranberry sauce that nobody will eat anyway.
Cooking!
Massive turkey success.
Fabulous family time.
Dinner you prepped for for 3 days over in 40 minutes because …. dessert.
More freaking cleaning.
Sigh.
Every single time I host a big old family event it’s the same destructive pattern.
This year, a different approach to the Holiday Feast. Will it be less stressed? Less chaotic? More manageable? I think so. This year my friends, for the second year in a row, I have hit he Thanksgiving jackpot. Two Thanksgiving dinners on different days and I’m not hosting either one of them! WHAT! I’m just taking desserts. My girls have been put on notice that they had better have their skinny little butts organized, I shall not be doing laundry at midnight this year. Outfits for Thanksgiving feasts will be ready. I don’t have to clean my house. I just have to help clean up after two dinners which is NO problem at all. All the benefits of the big fabulous family time and none of the stress.
This my friends is the way to do Thanksgiving.
Hope you all have a warm, fuzzy and drama free weekend!
Mwah!
My mother has always done the holiday dinner and I can honestly say that we don’t appreciate her hard work and now I have to call her and really thank her for all she does. Thanks for the reminder !
That used to our family Thanksgiving but a few years ago my mom, siblings & I decided NOT this year and instead had a huge family dinner with Lasagna!
Thanksgiving & Christmas are hell on a person. The End.
Ha! I used to be like this about Christmas…I feel like everything has to be perfect. I still do, but I’m just better at planning now. The good thing about Christmas is the festivities are spread out over days. Thanksgiving – not so much!
Oh I want Thanksgiving again!