Here it is, one year after the original “Luxurious” Thanksgiving post, so we have the opportunity to revisit the list of things about Thanksgiving that we here at AL especially love. It’s a holiday devoted to thinking about what you’re thankful for, so here goes:
1. You Could Host Thanksgiving Dinner for 20 – Yes, that can absolutely be a good thing. We figured out how to fry turkeys safely and now we don’t have to drive anywhere in the holiday traffic. The menu is fairly standard: turkey, stuffing, potatoes (mashed and sweet), cranberry sauce, pie, etc., etc. Dinner for 20 is basically dinner for 2, only times 10.
2. It’s a Little Vacation – Always at least one day off, and since it’s always on a Thursday, your boss might feel generous and give you Friday, too.
3. It’s Not Christmas Yet – … so there’s no pressure for last minute shopping. Just need to show up for Thanksgiving dinner.
4. All Kinds of Football – If you’re like us, you might not be lucky enough to live in Houston or Atlanta and have good NFL teams. Your local pro football team might be … struggling, as they say. If that’s the case, cheer yourself up by watching some college football this weekend or maybe some of the pro teams that might actually make the playoffs.
5. You Have a Month Left To Get Ready for Christmas – You still have plenty of time to think about what people would like to get, and even more time to actually go shopping.
6. Holiday Shopping Begins Even Earlier This Year – If you didn’t want to wait until midnight after Thanksgiving dinner to catch the early holiday super-discounts, this year you are in luck. Some stores are beginning their sales at 9 p.m. Thursday, which not only could give you an opportunity to get out and back to sleep at a relatively reasonable hour, but also could give you an excuse to remove yourself from your holiday guests — you may have had enough of them by then, anyway. Longer hours spread out the crowds, too. Theoretically.
7. High School Marching Bands Perform – Really, how many chances do you get to see that, complete with baton-twirlers?
8. The Leftovers Are Yummy – One of our local lunch restaurants — an upscale fast-food place, let’s call it — serves hot roast turkey, cranberry sauce, and stuffing year-round. Thanksgiving is your chance to overdose on it and to enjoy the food coma it produces (see “Little Vacation,” above). Since we’re having Thanksgiving this year, we’ll control all the leftovers. Lucky us . . .
9. You’re Expected to Get Together with Family and Friends – and just enjoy their company. Judging from the line at the wine shoppe and the number of bottles being purchased, lots of you are expecting a fairly large crowd. This is good, just what the holiday is all about. Everyone at least tries to be on their best behavior.
10. You Don’t Need to Second-Guess Your Holiday Greeting – “Happy Thanksgiving!” That’s it. No need to think about it, make it non-denominational or secular. It already is. Thanksgiving is the “All-American holiday,” for all Americans.
