Monday, November 22, 2010

Do You Want to Buy a Turkey, Shut up, or Just Read?

No, sorry, we can't have this.
Thanksgiving is a big deal.  People have already purchased their "supplies" for the holiday.  A Thanksgiving feast is a bit like joining a super-familial militia for the weekend.  There are several rules, and if you don't like it, just shut up about it.  It's easier to subvert the rules slightly than to change them altogether.

1.  You're required to spend time with your family. Actually, that's not so hard because Thanksgiving is a low-pressure holiday. If you know someone alone, this is obviously a very good time to invite him or her to the festivities. I'm very grateful to friends who hung out with me on Thanksgiving when I was single and divorced. (Okay, we cheated and went to a buffet.) The problem with family holidays:  there is a lot of football and that can be irritating. Men tend to sprawl in front of the TV; women to cook and clean. Cards can trump football after awhile if you're lucky.  Take a walk if it's possible.  It's very important to get the men away from the football or your Thanksgiving can be RUINED.

2.  You're required to cook a lot. Fortunately it's all very easyYou can use Pepperidge Farm stuffing, bags of salad, Ocean Spray cranberries, and various other cheating.    It's the one time of year when we buy name-brands.  As for me, I'm wondering whether to buy the turkey at Trader Joe's--I got the leaflet in the mail and want the organic turkey and am inspired by the ads to make my own garlic mashed potatoes and cranberry-apple pie--or at the supermarket? It's much, much better to buy organic, but Trader Joe's is way out in the suburbs.   We can't buy Butterball--I've heard very, very bad things.  This is an occasion when you have to take charge and make decisions about your family's nutrition.

3.  You have to eat a lot.  I've already had one Thanksgiving dinner.  Many of us attend more than one.  I've already put on some of those pounds I lost last summer.  Yesterday I had turkey, stuffing, and pie.  On Thursday the same thing...

4.  Personally I plan to read a lot Thursday.  I'll read between basting the turkey, and I've got my reading lined up.  I'm in the mood to read Grace Metallious's Peyton Place or maybe The Thorn Birds. Fast-moving sagas.  Yes.  My mother and I used to watch Peyton Place on TV.  I've never seen The Thorn Birds but maybe that's the kind of thing for women to curl up in front of on the holidays.  

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well Jim, I and Izzy have no one but us but we are jolly together so we've gotten ourselves a small turkey, Jim has bought some fresh nice vegetables and our plan for Thursday is to cook said turkey and vegetables starting around 12, eat at 4 or so and then take a long walk in Old Towne.

Izzy and I won't go to a movie (which we have done some years), but may watch a film together at home. I know she'll look for ice-skating, or tennis. Jim and I will read in the evening and listen to music.

Right now I'm just loving Small Island by Andrea Lavy which I can't recommend too highly and Izzy is trying Marjorie Gilbert's The Return.

I agree it's not as bad as Xmas, much quieter and no huge expense.

Ellen

Frisbee said...

Yes, Thanksgiving can be a nice quiet time. Late afternoon dinner and a walk sounds great to me.

Christmas...much more work. I try not to think about it till the week before.

(Diane) Bibliophile By the Sea said...

Loved your post with the Butterball Pix...LOL Yes, for the women, those annoying football men, who say "hon, can you get us something to drink, or another piece of pie"---annoying is the word, but then it is only one day. enjoy

Frisbee said...

Happy Thanksgiving! Thanks, Diane, for the good wisehs and may we both have less football than we expect.

We're cooking up a storm here. No idea when things will be ready.