Bah, Humbug! And Other Seasonal Sentiments

What’s your favorite holiday? For my husband and me, it’s Thanksgiving. I love having every one poke their feet under our table while someone carves the turkey and someone else passes the Best Ever Sweet Potato Casserole. Thanksgiving comes without the pressure Christmas brings. The only thing my husband hates about Christmas is the gift-buying, the gift-wrapping, the gift- receiving, and the gift-returning—all in the name of our Lord.

But not everyone looks forward to holidays. Some have faced loss through the year. Holidays bring reminder of missing family members, lost jobs, lost homes. I’ve had a few Christmases where it was a struggle to put up a tree, even when the kids were at home.

In life there’s change, some welcome, and some not. The first year our youngest daughter said she wanted to have Thanksgiving at her house, I was at a loss. What? I wouldn’t be cooking the turkey? For over thirty years I always cooked the turkey, and I always made the corn bread dressing by my mother-in-law’s recipe. Instead, we’d be having stuffing from a box and gravy from a jar. But I’m a quick learner. My favorite stuffing recipe now is Stove Top.

This year the Thanksgiving meal for our family isn’t going to be at our house or our daughter’s or even on Thursday although I already bought a turkey. I also bought two of the boxes and two of the jars. Then our youngest called to say her oldest child’s other grandparents had invited them for Thanksgiving meal on Saturday, and we were invited if we wanted to come.

Thanksgiving at Nanny’s? And on Saturday? I don’t have to clean house, cook, and clean up? Why not?

The difference is attitude. Big Deals often aren’t so big. But some things are indeed, like losing a family member or facing foreclosure.

This is the year my husband started his whole-foods, plant-based diet, so there are a lot of positives about having Thanksgiving dinner at someone else’s house. I don’t have to try to find a home for the left-over turkey he won’t be eating. Our granddaughter said I’d need to cook green bean casserole to bring for Papa so he’d have something to eat. Knowing my husband, he’ll probably cook up something delicious to take, like sliced Brussel sprouts stir-fried in just the smallest amount of oil, lightly salted, seasoned with orange juice and zest and sprinkled with toasted walnuts. Yum!

Happy Thanksgiving! And don’t forget to give thanks. A grateful heart gives you joy and blesses others.
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My contribution to Thanksgiving on Saturday at Nanny’s:

Roasted Cauliflower with Red Peppers
serves 6

1 head medium cauliflower, about 2 pounds, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
1 large red pepper cut into thin strips
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
In large bowl, toss cauliflower, red pepper, garlic, and oil until evenly coated. Salt and pepper. Arrange vegetables in single layer on a cookie sheet. Roast vegetables 20 minutes or until tender.