For some folks, it's all about the food. For some, it's all about the football games. For some, it's the sheer entertainment of being in the middle of lively conversations during dinner. For others, it's the waiting in line in the wee hours to take advantage of the Black Friday mayhem the day after Thanksgiving. I don't get that. I never got that. Sounds like elective pain to me.
One of my co-workers loves the hunt. She is the Hunter-Gatherer Queen of Black Friday. She even has an entourage that accompanies her and over the years it's become an all-out Big Event (with a capital "B" and a capital "E"). One has to get pre-approved to be part of her group. They each have their assignments -- they make a list, compare prices, they make maps, get all wound up, and head out to battle!
Getting up early to stand in line, waiting for a store to open with a bunch of people who are also on the same kind of crazed mission -- is just too much stress for me. There is nothing I need or want that will get me involved to that degree of seriousness but some people just love it! For those of you who do, I hope you have a great time and find the best bargains!
There's lots of different ways to spend Thanksgiving. I've been to dinners where I was a guest and didn't have to do a thing. Memories of some of the very best holidays I've had were Thanksgiving dinners that were very simple -- making lots of buttery popcorn, ordering take-out pizzas, and picking up movies for an all-day movie marathon was great fun. A good time was had by all! One time, I made lasagna, salad, bread sticks and cheesecake for dessert instead of turkey and all the trimmings. It's a good way to surprise guests -- and who doesn't like lasagna?
On the other hand, creating a Thanksgiving dinner with turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, corn, pies, ice cream, etc. can be a huge undertaking. It takes lots of grocery shopping time, prep time, cooking time, and lots of effort on the part of the cook to have everything come out at the same time and taste good. When I've made a huge dinner like that, for me, it was a labor of love. But for others, they just think that's really nutty and prefer to eat out in a restaurant for dinner and not mess with all that work.
I guess when you think about it -- each and every one of us has our own elective pain about this holiday, don't we?
Happy Thanksgiving!
