SOUNDING MY BARBARIC GULP!: Thanksgiving 2010

I had a brilliant idea this morning...to sneak off & spend the next 5 days alone in a swanky hotel, drinking champagne, ordering room service, and catching up on sleep. That way, I could avoid this entire holiday weekend...and get some much needed rest, relaxation, and quiet time.

While I love Thanksgiving dinner, I'm just not looking forward to cleaning the house for our overnight guests, doing all the grocery shopping tonight & cooking the entire meal by myself on Thursday (as my husband will be busy working and/or duck hunting the next few days). I'm sure it will all work out in the long run, but I am feeling anxious and overwhelmed by how much I have to do in the next couple of days.

Still, I'm not one to selfishly abandon my family on a holiday. So, I'll suck it up and make the best of it. This Thanksgiving, I'll remember to appreciate the family & friends who are joining us for dinner (and not focus on the heart-breaking dysfunction of those who are not), to celebrate the one-year anniversary of our engagement (and 8 wonderful months of marriage), & to recognize all that I have to be truly thankful for.

One thing that I miss about the holidays, however, is going to Mt. Olive to spend the weekend with my grandparents...hanging out in Grandma Green's huge kitchen with lots of aunts, uncles, & cousins or helping Grandma Martin make dinner (and learning all the secrets of preparing her classic sage stuffing). I miss my family terribly this time of year; things just haven't been the same since my mom died 14 years ago. And since Jerad's mom recently left his father, moving into her own apartment with Jerad's sister, his family won't be the same again either.

Therefore, Jerad and I have decided that it's time to start our own holiday traditions...which begins with Thanksgiving dinner at our house. Since we've had beef tenderloin & lobster for the past few years at my in-laws' house, as was their Thanksgiving tradition, this year we've decided to make a simple, traditional meal with our classic favorites...an homage to childhood memories of happy holidays:

Roasted Turkey

Chestnut & Pancetta Stuffing

Mashed Potatoes & Gravy

Real Green Bean Casserole

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Brown Sugar & Marshmallows

Cranberry & Apple Salad

Homemade Pumpkin Pie

And champagne.

Lots of champagne.

With splashes of gingerbread syrup in each glass.

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