Winging the Turkey
My 13-year-old -- who is the big traditionalist in our family -- was the first one to start getting upset about how our Thanksgiving might turn out this year. And I had to agree. This was the first year we would not be spending it with extended family. We weren't up to flying to California or Colorado and our Texas family was scattered or busy with other extended family commitments. And to top it off, my husband and the two older boys were going to the Cowboy game which meant that not even the six of us would be together. But then I decided we would just wing it instead of worrying about it. My husband wanted to do Thanksgiving at Luby's at 11 a.m. so he could get to the game quickly (and I would have to get the turkey in the oven at 6 a.m.). So we went (and I was amazed at the LONG line of people who do Thanksgiving there). But after they left, the little boys and I prepared a big Thanksgiving feast, just making everything that they liked (turkey, stuffing, French fries, peas, crescent rolls, chocolate chip muffins, gingerbread men and yellow cake with chocolate icing and sprinkles). We had so much fun peeling and chopping and frying and mixing and frosting, and after their dad and big brothers came home, they enjoyed the second turkey meal, too. A friend of mine came over with a friend for my 13-year-old and we talked and laughed and watched a little T.V. together. When my 13-year-old went to bed, he gave me a big smile and said, "That was a nice Thanksgiving." And it was. It may not be the Thanksgiving I would have planned, but it may actually go down as one of my favorites. Have you ever had a holiday that didn't go as planned but turned out much better than you expected, too?