Thanksgiving Wishes

Oh, hello.

Thought I would take a moment in-between roasting a couple turkey breasts and preparing other dishes for some quick baking before everyone shows up around 2pm to say hi. Yes, we’re celebrating Thanksgiving here in the currently arctic Midwest. I took my daughter’s pooch Celeste for a quick walk, and I mean quick. Says it’s 31 degrees, but with the wind chill it feels like 11 degrees. And yes, it did indeed feel like 11 degrees. Painful. I think Cece was a little disappointed I cut the walkabout short, but I didn’t want chafed cheeks before everyone shows up.

I just wanted to tell all that celebrate Thanksgiving today that I hope you have a wonderful day of food, family, fine spirits, and maybe a few laughs. I know that for some, getting together with family isn’t as fun as it is for others. Between politics, religion, the Marvel/Star Wars universe divides, and that aunt and uncle that like to accuse even inanimate objects of being “woke”, holiday get-togethers can be uncomfortable.

My advice is to avoid those relatives. Don’t chat about current events. If you do get stuck in a conversation with them keep it to things they like…like grilling, that one co-worker that gives them a hard time, or the football team they like…and why do they like THAT team? If they start talking politics I’d suggest sneezing or coughing uncontrollably in their face, apologize, and walk away. Same for any other dialogue you’re not comfortable with. As soon as you hear that aunt that goes to church four times a week say “Well, the gays….” you immediately scream loudly “THESE DAMN BUNIONS!!!” and then go grab some dessert.

These tactics may not work for some, but for others you never know.

I’m lucky in that we don’t have those stupid Fox New talking points come up at our dinners. Mainly because I keep it to immediate family, as our immediate family do not watch Fox News. They didn’t vote for Trump. They’re empathetic and think about others and what they’re going through. They don’t think the earth is flat, or that the Dems are a group of Satan-worshipping pedos that meet in the basement of a New Jersey pizza parlor.

That would be more our extended family.

I haven’t been to a huge family get-together in over a decade. Two reasons, one is that I care for my mental well-being enough to stay away. And two, well that’s because I’m a grown adult and I can choose to not go. My parents, my kids, and my brother and his family(once in a while) are about all I need to keep in contact with. Why ruin an amazing meal by eating it with people I don’t really know or have zero in common with other than we had the same grandparents and hung out when we were 8. Hey, none of my cousins or aunts and uncles are reaching out to me either. They probably think the same thing about me, so we’re even.

If I got a random call from a cousin or uncle and they said they were in trouble and needed an assist, I’d ask them where and when. I’d grab a boot knife and my trusty “beatin’ stick” and we’d bust some skulls. But spending Fourth Of July with them, listening to their inaccurate political yucks and cooking hot dogs on twigs over an open fire? Nah. I’m good.

So Thanksgiving for us is small and intimate. Our oldest and their partner are in Delaware for Thanksgiving with her partner’s family. Our son and his girlfriend are on their way up now from Indianapolis. My parents will be getting here around 2, and my brother and sister-in-law are coming, I guess. It was pretty vague. He wants to come over, but they’re not eating. His in-laws are heading back to Florida today, but no idea when. So, if we see them we see them.

More food for us.

Roasted turkey breast, mashed potatoes, a gluten-free gnocchi stuffing, corn pudding, green bean casserole, rolls, veggie tray, appetizers, and desserts like pecan pie, pumpkin pie, resees peanut butter bars, and a cheesecake. I think it’s a pretty stacked menu, myself.

So to all that are celebrating, Happy Thanksgiving. And to my Canadian friends, I hope your Thanksgiving was great back in October. “So, how are those Maple Leafs doing? And, why do you like them specifically?”