"It's the middle of the night!" I growled at him, and sent him back to bed. And when I woke up 2 hours later, all was quiet in my home. A small miracle actually. I drank my coffee in peace as it dawned on me...It's Thanksgiving week.
Lest you think that I am jaded and disenchanted with all Holidays, I have to say - I just love Thanksgiving. I know, I know, it's the official start of the Holiday-that-shall-not-be-named, but even that doesn't dim my enthusiasm. So today, I am Thankful for Thanksgiving. And here's 7 reasons why.
- Thanksgiving always falls on a Thursday, so it makes for a short week. Allie woke up this morning singing "It's not really Mooonnday...it's actually Thurrrrsday!" And I concur with her conclusion. The kids only have two days of school this week, and The Man only works three. Glory. Glory!
- I. Never. Host. Thanksgiving. It's true, and I couldn't be happier about it. No stressful cleaning of the house or planning menus. I have never cooked a turkey and I am willing to postpone that experience as long as possible. Repeat after me: Gizzards are gross. (Which is why I am profoundly grateful for my mother and my sister-n-law who graciously host us each year.)
- We get to see our families. I know for some people this is a chore, but I genuinely love it. My kids have lots of cousins on both sides who we don't get to see nearly as much as we would like. I love the chaos that comes with a house full of excited children. I'll be sad if it ever changes.
- My mother hosts the celebration for my side of the family the Sunday before Thanksgiving, to keep us from having to run like crazy on the actual Holiday. God bless her. So...I get to eat Turkey and pie all week long. It also makes for a lazy day on Thursday. We get up, watch the parade. make casseroles. watch football. Give the kids their nap. And head over to The Man's celebration late afternoon. All Holidays should be this stress free.
- I am thrilled that in America - where we truly are blessed - we have a Holiday simply to stop and recognize it. I love discussing with my children the things they are thankful for, and watching how their lists change over the years. They never cease to surprise me.
- The food. 'Nuf said.
- Thanksgiving always falls on a Thursday so we all have a long weekend off together. Practices, Games, Rehearsals, Lessons...all take a break. As a family we have really come to look forward to this. We do things together as a family. The Man watches an astounding amount of football. I read books. We watch movies, and play games. For a few days life moves at a slow pace, and I recognize that for the rare gift it is.
12 comments:
Yep, I haven't made a turkey either and I am very happy about that. I have no desire really.
I miss going down south to visit my family for Thanksgiving. We used to spend every Thanksgiving w/ them and then exchange our Christmas presents as well. Now, the drive is just HORRIBLE! Really, no one should have to drive 13+ hours and then turn around 2.5 days later and do it again. But, that leaves me not seeing my family. It's a catch 22. So, I enjoy putting up the tree on that day, and eating yummy food with my man's family. I love Christmas... listening to people sing about our Lord on the radio all throughout the day, I love it. Seeing the lights twinkle on the fresh snow... gorgeous! Although, there are hardly any outdoor nativity scenes anywhere b/c I have been looking for years to find one and that is majorly disturbing! Asking workers where the Jesus things are and them telling me there aren't any. YUCK! But then, putting up the nativity and really pondering Mary and Joseph and their journey to bring Jesus into this world (which I should do more throughout the year). That fact that we celebrate Good coming to Earth to step on the head of evil! I have to put all the other stuff aside, and have to make myself b/c I can get caught up in the presents, etc, but when I truly do... the fact that Jesus came b/c He loves me. It's a wonderful time for me! :)
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Thanksgiving! It's really one of my favorite times of the year. We're taking this whole week off of everything: school, ballet lessons, piano lessons, etc. The slow pace is a very welcome change. I actually enjoy cooking for Thanksgiving. For some reason it doesn't feel like a chore that day. It's also great that Don does the turkeys because gizzards are indeed, g-r-o-s-s! I love the family, food, and football. The three F's of T-Day!
Taylor loves the sleepovers with Allison every Thanksgiving, too! That's always been a fun tradition.
we rarely get to spend it with family, and it is often sort of a lonely holiday for me. I remember big family get togethers, and I miss those. This year my husband is home visiting his sick brother, so MQ and I will be serving dinner at a homeless shelter. I am excited about this new way to spend the holiday.
I made my first turkey last year for my family plus a few others, and it really seemed quite average. This year, I'll have 12 people at my house to cook for, but my dad's doing the turkey, so it'll actually taste good.
I'm looking forward to it.
It sounds like you've got a great holiday planned! Our's will be laid back as well. All parents are headed elsewhere for the holiday (Mama and Daddy are on their way to Chrissy's now! and my in-laws are on a cruise...yes, I'm a smidge jealous :-D ). So this will be another year of just my husband, my child and I and a quiet Thanksgiving on our own. I love it! I love seeing our families when they are able to join us as well, but I also love the quiet traditions we get to build for our own family on years like this.
Unless of course I go into labor and throw the whole thing off. HA!
Oh, and I am lucky. My husband, Sir Chef that he is, always does the turkey, so I don't have to. I cook the sweet potatoes, the broccoli and rice casserole, and anything else easy. He does the turkey and the dressing the way HE likes it (which always turns out really good!)
Happy Thanksgiving!!!
I also love that we stop and show thanks - it is such a wonderful American tradition!! I love the food too! Take care and have a good Thanksgiving.
A lovely list!
5:45 is my normal wake-up time - horrible but true.
I love it, too. And my favorite part is making little roll/mashed potato/gravy sandwiches. YUM!
Invites Painted Maypole to her Thanksgiving feast. :)
I say the more the merrier. I love Thanksgiving and the cooking. We all get dressed up fancy and eat turkey, crab cakes, shrimp and cocktail sauce, mashed potatoes, and all the other fixings.
Especially when it comes to the desserts, oh my god. My kids will gobble it up because they don't worry about their weight, but they always leave me one tiny piece.
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.
Jillian
I love your daughter's little song: "It's not really Monday, it's actually Thursday." I wish I'd thought of it. All day today I am going to run around singing "It's Friday! It's Fri-i-i-day!"
'Cuz I could really use a good Friday.
I wish I could say that my Thanksgiving is as stressfree and easy as yours, but I do still love it. It's a chance for us to take our kiddo to see ALL of his grandparents, 400 miles away. Despite the drive, I suppose it's a break for us, too, in a way, because those grandparents sure do love to hold him, feed him, and play with him.
I might get to drink my coffee while it's still hot tomorrow.
YAY FOR THANKSGIVING!
love it, love it, love!
As a confirmed Grinch, I think I may adopt your term "Holiday-that-shall-not-be-named"!
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