When it comes to Thanksgiving, most everyone that I know is either making to scramble between the homes of friends and relatives houses. Still others, are scrubbing and cooking in fury to get their homes ready for invasions of the same. I have done both, and by the end of the day, I am not much in the mood for giving thanks. I tend to be cranky, tired and just ready to not see any family for quite some time.
I know, I know. I’m awful. Since I usually have to work right up to the evening before, I usually get stuck with all the last minute household chores, and I usually have to get up at butt-o’clock to cook a whole lot of food and either get it ready to travel, or try to time it for when the company starts to arrive. Either way, I don’t enjoy the family get-togethers.
A few years ago, I proposed a plan to my husband: Why don’t we find an open pizza place, order some, and just relax with some nice phone calls or texts to family to wish them a happy one. Or, if we want, we can get some of those really nice pizzas from the store, add what we want to them, cook them for 15 minutes, et voila! Dinner is served!
We also enjoy leisurely breakfasts of pancakes or waffles, a nice warm lunch or something like that.. It’s not like we starve and do not cook anything. It’s just that my husband is not that into turkey, I hate stuffing, and I have very picky, autistic little boys who are happier with eating foods that they like and having their XBOXs here, since they are not social animals. On top of that, my daughter goes to her Dad’s for a while and logistics get sticky.
My parents took it in stride, although I think it may not have thrilled them. However, my in-laws do not seem to understand it. They love huge family get-togethers. However, since we would never miss the party on Christmas Eve as it is my husband’s birthday, I feel that other than the occasional smaller dinner is a lot of fun.
The really scary part is that my husband, not me, but my husband sits down and plots the Black Friday sales, if there are any kind of items that interests him. Plus, if there are any pre-sales that start Thursday before midnight, and there’s something that he thinks needs to be on the Christmas list. It is terrifying. Especially since there is a role reversal here, and I hate to shop with a passion.
A peaceful, restful turkey day is a good way to prepare myself for that nightmare. The in-laws just don’t understand it, though. A good Thanksgiving for us is to spend the day with our kids, relaxing. This is my idea of a day for which to be grateful. It may say a little wacky, but we sure enjoy the peace and time together with each other, which we don’t have often enough.