I love Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is just three days away.  It’s my favorite holiday for a lot of reasons.  It was my mom’s favorite too, and I think I understand why.  There is no gift-giving, and that fact, in and of itself, makes it a far superior holiday to Christmas.  Christmas has just become so much about buying gifts (and going into debt) and so much not about the birth of Christ, that it makes me sad.  Christmas is also Tom’s busiest time of the year.  He frequently has to work until 10 PM on Christmas Eve and then is back at it the day after Christmas, usually as busy as he was in the days leading up to it.  It has turned him into a Grinch, which he acknowledges and dislikes about himself.  Christmas has always been his favorite time of year until working for FedEx changed that.  But Thanksgiving is great.  We have all the kids and their families home.  This year, Jonathan’s roommate will be coming with him.  We usually have way too much food, which is fun.  I love to cook, and Thanksgiving gives me a great excuse to cook like mad.  For years, my brother and his family would come from the west side of Washington State, which was awesome.  Now that he lives in Medford, OR, it’s too far for him to come.  That makes me sad.  I used to look so forward to seeing him for this holiday.  Despite that, it’s still a great holiday. It was the last holiday my mom celebrated before she died (thirty years ago this year) so it has always been a bit more meaningful because of that. One of the last snapshots I have of her is of her and my stepdad at the kitchen sink, cleaning the turkey carcass that Thanksgiving in 1975.  I called her name and she turned and looked at me with a big smile on her face and I snapped the photo.  I love that shot.  Who could have guessed that less than two weeks later she’d be dead?  So, yeah, I love Thanksgiving and I’m looking forward to it this year.  I’m making two smaller turkeys instead of one big one.  I usually make a 25 pounder, but I’ve come to believe that you really don’t get that much more meat on a 25 pound bird than the amount you get on, say, an 18 pound bird.  So, I bought a 13 pound turkey and a 14 pound turkey. They’ll cook faster, I can make two kinds of stuffing, and we will have four drumsticks and a lot of breast meat.  It should be great.  I’m making the stuffings, yams with marshmallows, and a pear-cranberry crisp I make every year.  Shana is making veggies and mashed potatoes and bringing appetizers and rolls, while Shannon is bringing desserts and fruit salad.  We should have plenty to eat and have plenty of leftovers as well.  I’m taking Wednesday off to start cooking (I’m making my yams from fresh baked yams instead of from canned ones) and then Friday I’m watching my grandkids so Shana can brave the crowds and take advantage of all the insane sales the day after Thanksgiving.  I think it will be a great holiday – lots of football, noise, food, and love.  Thank you, Lord, for this time to share with our loved ones.  We are truly blessed!