The Day After Thanksgiving – time to switch gears.
By Irene Conlan -
Thanksgiving was a good day for us. Our first experience with smoking a turkey went well. It took about half the time the recipes said it would take. The flavor was fantastic and, since it cooked too long, it was a little dry. But we will do it again. This time we’ll try it with a smaller turkey when there is no time frame involved. We seem to try out all new things when we have guests. I tried a pecan topping from Holly Clegg’s Trim and Terrific cookbook and it was it was out of this world – it would have been good just by itself.
Everyone came at once and left at once so we had the calm before and after the storm. There was nothing spectacular or remarkable – just good friends getting together and enjoying a meal and each other. That in itself is something to give thanks for.
And now it’s not quite back to normal because it’s time to gear up for Christmas. We didn’t have Jack this weekend so the Christmas trees will go up on Monday rather than on Saturday or Sunday. I put a small one up on my side of the house and Chris has an 8 footer. We use artificial trees for a lot of reasons that make sense to us and probably to no one else. I have this cute little 6 ft. tree wtih fiber optic lights – rather tacky but I like it and Jack loves it. I just read an article about how tasteless it is to try to make a fake tree look like a real tree. Well, I’m just trying to let a fake tree look like a fake tree. Is that tasteless, too? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, after all and safety is high on my list.
Some of you have probably already finished your “black Friday” shopping. Stores in our area were advertising that they would open at 2 a.m. There is no way on this planet that I would go shopping at 2 a.m. I am more and more turned off by the push for us to buy. Christmas and Hanukkah are really not about “breaking the bank” but about the birth of Christ and the celebration of lights. The exchange of gifts was symbolic and appropriate. But we’ve all come to expect extravagant gifts and the maxing out of credit cards during this season to be jolly. I heard on the news the other night that some people are still paying of the debt from last Christmas and they’re running up more bills for this year. Where is the wisdom and joy in that?
I’m anything but a “bah humbug” person. I love traditions that are meaningful, that bring people together and lift the spirit. I love giving and receiving gifts and the most beautiful gifts, in my opinion, are those from the heart. It isn’t the price that makes me happy it’s the thoughtfulness and the love that accompanies it.
Last year, for example, Jack, with the help of his dad, painted a coffee mug for me. In his shaky almost-five printing he wrote “G Ma” on it (the word “Grandma” was too long) and drew some big blue flowers. He worked really hard on it and watched me carefully as I unwrapped it on Christmas to see if I liked it. Oh, I love that mug. I drink my tea out of it every morning and think of how much I love that little boy. It can’t go in the dishwasher so I faithfully wash it so I can have it again the next morning. Jack is always delighted when he sees me sipping my tea from it. I am hoping for an almost-six mug this year – and eventually a set. They are more precious to me than the finest china.
Let’s go into the Christmas/Hanukkah season with hearts full of love and appreciation for all that has come before to give us such so much now. When you think of that rich heritage, what do you treasure the most?
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