As women, we often take on the lion's share of the
responsibility for keeping tradition alive in our
homes. In the old days, women had so much more time
to focus on home and hearth. Nowadays, only the
truly die-hard gourmet cooks really look forward to
the onset of the holiday season. This article is for
the rest of us!
Believe it or not, I entered college at the
University of Houston with an official major in Home
Economics. Lord knows why, because to this day, I've
never impressed anyone with my skills in the
kitchen! Needless to say, I changed my major to
something less intimidating, something involving
computers and accounting.
I remember my very first attempt at cooking a
Thanksgiving Dinner at the age of 20. Never having
found a cookbook particularly engaging reading, I
guess I kind of winged it. I will never forget the
fits of hysterical laughter that came from my mother
when I proudly pulled my turkey out of the oven. It
seems it was rather immodestly positioned in a
spread-eagle sort of pose! Though I have since
learned the art of trussing a turkey, I still find
the prospect of cooking a holiday meal to be stressful.
If any of you can relate, consider doing something a
little different this year. There is no doubt that
having traditions are absolutely wonderful. But who
says the tradition has to be stressful? With a
little creativity, you might be able to find
something that works for everybody without finding
yourself exhausted and needing a vacation from your
holiday!
One year, when the stress of my life as a
single-working-mother of two little boys got the
better of me, I decided to throw caution to the wind
and do Thanksgiving my way. My little boys weren't
all that fond of turkey anyway. I decided to get
individual takeouts from Boston Market. I had the
turkey dinner, and my boys had their choice from the
smorgasbord. Then we packed everything up and drove
to the beach with a picnic basket and a red and
white-checkered tablecloth.
Now, I thought we’d be the only people in the world
at the beach. I was completely amazed when I arrived
to find huge family gatherings with large banners
proclaiming things such as the “Smith Family Annual
Thanksgiving at the Beach”. And I thought I was
being such a maverick! Well my guilt went right out
the window and it turns out that my kids remember
that Thanksgiving more fondly than any other.
So I recommend for this Thanksgiving that you cut
yourself some slack. What is something you could do
just a little different to take some of the pressure
off? Can you order a prepared turkey or even the
whole turkey dinner from a local grocer or
restaurant? Can you ask for help from family and
friends? Can you get your kids involved in creating
a new tradition that would be fun?
The most important thing of all about Thanksgiving
is that it does indeed remind us of the power of
gratitude in our lives. It brings us back to the
realization that we have so much to be thankful for,
even if our lives don't seem to be working as well
as we'd like them too.
Take time in the coming days and over the long
weekend to be conscious about what is working in
your life, what you appreciate about your home, your
partner, your family, your children, your work, and
anything else that is important to you. Put down the
magnifying glass that exaggerates the things you
don't like about your life, and the people in it,
and notice how much better you feel!
Happy Turkey Day!
