I know this may sound blasphemous, but I am thankful Thanksgiving is over. Why? Because, like other seasonal holidays, it can occasionally create a lot of pressure and generate unreasonably high expectations.
Our families have always lived far away from us, so there’s never been a traditional Thanksgiving Day gathering place. When Hubby and I were younger, we overcame the distance by traveling many miles by plane, train, and automobile. Some years, family members would travel those same miles in reverse to come to our home. The grandkids were little in those days, so a Thanksgiving Day celebration with Grandma and Grandpa was expected somewhere – no matter what.
More recently, on the rare occasions when we can’t get together physically with family members for some reason, we enjoy Thanksgiving Day with friends – sometimes close friends who were also orphans – and other times with good neighbors who made us part of their family for the day.
For this last Thanksgiving, it was just Hubby and me. We debated going to one of the restaurant buffets we had seen advertised. It was tempting because all we had to do was show up and pay. So why not do that? Because we no longer eat enough to warrant the cost – although Hubby sometimes tries his best! I also miss leaving with a “doggie bag,” which is frowned upon at buffet restaurants. Not having leftovers is a deal killer since I love having turkey sandwiches for a few days after Thanksgiving. Of course, that wasn’t going to happen anyway after my last New Year’s resolution: Never cook another turkey as long as I live!
So what about Thanksgiving this year? We decided to treat ourselves and buy something special for our dinner that day. We were considering Wagyu Beef or Chilean Sea Bass – both expensive choices. So, we went to a local high-end grocery store to shop. The store was nice, and the employees were helpful and friendly. The customers – not so much. Very few of them smiled – most looked kinda stressed. Some shook their heads in disbelief as they looked at the prices of some of the specialty food items. Of course, there were no food-tasting stations like Costco. After reviewing everything the store had available and a brief powwow, we decided to go with Wagyu steaks.
Reflecting on the past year, I recalled everything I was thankful for. Many dear friends departed this earth during that time, and I shall miss them. It makes me sad. Then again, most were seniors, and some were in ill health. I recalled what a friend told me years ago during their final illness. “Death is an old person’s friend.” That consoled me somewhat. I am thankful for having those wonderful friends.
Our desert weather has changed recently. It’s been colder, wetter, and gloomier. It’s also been windier with lots of blowing sand. My community garden has not been happy. But the most unusual thing about the last year’s weather was our hurricane! Fortunately, Hurricane Hilary didn’t cause much damage to our home – just a tile or two blowing off the roof. Luckily, two older skylights were replaced just days before the hurricane arrived. I am thankful for new skylights.
My mid-fifties son decided to participate in a grueling 750-mile bike ride down the Pacific Coast Highway. I don’t even like him driving an automobile down that treacherous highway. It can be dangerous. Fortunately, he did just fine, and I am proud of his stamina and courage. (I’m not referring to the bike ride but to his courage in standing up to me – a mother who can be as challenging as the PCH.) I am thankful for my son!
Hubby has a new hobby. Due to health issues, he couldn’t play golf and found nothing to take its place. So, he started writing nail-biting murder mysteries! His fertile imagination and ability to write so well have amazed me. So far, he has published three whodunnit mysteries that are doing quite well on Amazon.com. It’s been a joint effort as our son-in-law and I have been drafted to be his editors. Then, he started using an online editing system called Grammarly, dramatically reducing his need for outside editing support. However, he still seeks our advice when major plot decisions have to be made – who to kill off in the story – and with what deadly weapons. I am thankful for Hubby’s new hobby!
You know the saying, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” That came in handy for me around Thanksgiving. I bought four pounds of the wrong almonds at Costco – raw instead of roasted. What to do? Of course, I Googled and came up with numerous ways to use raw almonds. So, Hubby and I decided to have an almond cook-off. I couldn’t believe the number of toasted almond flavors there are. We tried about five or six of them. Hubby’s roasted honey cinnamon almonds won the grand prize. I am thankful for healthy almond snacks!
My Worcestershire sauce-flavored gems came in dead last. They looked burnt, but they weren’t. The Worcestershire sauce made them appear very dark. The garlic-flavored ones were also a big hit. We had an almond tasting when our kids visited. Once again, the honey cinnamon ones were the most favored, but my dark Worcestershire sauce beauties were quite tasty. Then Hubby found the best recipe for our raw almonds – Almond Flour Honey Cake! We’ve made it several times since and love it – especially for breakfast. We are thankful!
Back to Costco. I bought the wrong container of feta cheese. It wasn’t crumbled – it came as four large 8-ounce blocks. It’s possible to crumble it – but not very easily. I found a recipe online that sounded like a good use for feta: Baked Feta Pasta. My live-in gourmet cook approved. As I began preparing it, he wandered into the kitchen and suggested how he would improve the recipe. Yes, at that point, I insisted he take it over, and I must admit it was delicious. We added a great new recipe to our collection, and I only have three large blocks of feta left! I am thankful!
Thanksgiving Day arrived, and it was peaceful. We enjoyed the traditional family phone calls, and – because it was Hubby’s day to cook – I didn’t have to fret about anything other than setting the table. I enjoyed a leisurely morning watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade while sipping on a delicious cup of coffee. I had forgotten about the exceptional quality of the parade. I glanced around my beautiful home and gazed at Hubby, who was preparing our Wagyu steak dinner in the kitchen. He cooked the steaks perfectly, but truthfully, they didn’t meet our expectations. Maybe we set the bar too high. Don’t get me wrong. They were delicious – as were the accompanying vegetables. We were thankful.
Then it happened. Just before Santa Claus arrived at the parade’s end, Cher sang a song from one of the floats. She looked beautiful. Hubby even commented on how good she looked. Then he asked me, “How old is Cher? “She’s 77,” I said. “Oh, the same age as you.” He snuck a subtle glance at me. All of a sudden, my spirits fell. I quickly overcame my fleeting despair, realizing Cher had a facelift – or likely two or three of them. Hubby sensed my emotional distress and rescued me. He went online and found a computer-generated rendering depicting what Cher would look like today without all that work. Guess what? She looked just like me and all the other 77-year-old women I know! I am thankful for computer-generated renderings!
We spent the rest of the afternoon watching football. Although my teams didn’t win, they were not blowouts and were exciting. During one of the later games, Hubby said,
“Wow – look at Dolly Parton.” She was doing the half-time show dressed in a skimpy Dallas Cowboys cheerleader outfit. Yes, I watched her and was equally amazed. She looked like she could have been in her thirties! Then Hubby asked, “How old is Dolly?” I murmured softly, “I think she’s 77.” “Oh, isn’t that the same age as you?” he asked, apparently forgetting he had asked me the same question earlier while ogling Cher! I said yes for the second time that day. Like Cher, I knew Dolly certainly had facelifts – and probably a few other nips, tucks, and fillers. Hubby tried to help me out again when he said, “I read on Facebook that Dolly Parton spent millions getting all that body work done.” I am thankful for social media!
So, as I looked back over that day, I considered all that had occurred and reached one enduring conclusion: Thanksgiving was over! And I was thankful!
What are your thoughts about Thanksgiving? Favorite holiday? Not so much? Your comments are always welcome and won’t be published outside this website.
2 Comments
We have done the buffet at our favorite restaurant & thoroughly enjoyed it. Ate slow & was very picky about choosing how to fill our bellies. Of course, I cannot pass up the salads no matter how much I say I won’t fill up on greens. Always just a few choice protein choices, turkey, of course, beef tenderloin & a fish. I can pass desserts but they do not frown on taking one to go. One of my favorite memories is of a Christmas Day just the 2 of us & I did cook a turkey because the left-overs are my favorite! But the frosting on the cake happened when we were relaxing in the family room & were visited by a flock of bluebirds who proceeded to bathe in our heated bird bath. Unusual because we don’t get many bluebirds in our part of MI, especially in the woods & in winter. They were there for ages & all the other little birds kept looking & cocking their heads as if they were questioning the logic. As soon as the bluebirds left the watchers decided to give it a try. The most activity that bath had ever seen, other than as a drinking source for the neighbor cats.
I miss my blocks of feta that I used to get from the Lebanese market in MI! Supermarket feta is made from cow’s milk & I prefer the sheep or goat or combination of both. They sell French, Bulgarian & domestic. Now I am in S. Carolina I guess it’s Costco for me!
Our Thanksgiving was skimpy this year. We moved Nov. 13th to S. Carolina, combining households with our single daughter. We still can’t find anything but went to the grocery store together, that was fun. Had lamb lollipops, baked sweet potatoes, green bean casserole & I made a pumpkin pie using a much damaged frozen pie crust. Yuck! I do not like pumpkin pie but our daughter does, so she was thankful! Our daughter just took a work project in Pennsylvania & will be home briefly over Christmas, so it will be the old ceramic tree that we made in the Navy ceramics shop 50+ years ago. I am not a believer in gift-giving, again not worth the stress & worry. So another skimpy holiday but we 3 are still thankful!
I got Covid on thanksgiving day and have not felt well since. Finally starting to feel like I might want to live.