Post-Thanksgiving

This year, for the first time in about four years, we celebrated Thanksgiving without any of the extended family. Although Thanksgiving is not really my holiday (seeing as how the Pilgrims were dying to get out of Holland and to the new colonies, this shouldn't come as much of a surprise), I have, thanks to my better half, learned to see it as a true family occasion. And, as I should point out, a truly American family occasion, which involves paintball, fishing, canoeing, the possibility of hunting, roasting marshmallows, and talking to people whose family relations to you are simply far too complicated to describe ("so you're my husband's second cousin's son's wife, right?). However, this year, due to moving family members, crazy work schedules, and other general snafus, the DixieChick family stayed in Georgia. All by itself.

It actually wasn't so bad. Husband-dear and I had it all thought out, and believe that we now have the perfect recipe for a successful Thanksgiving at home without any extended family. It requires the following:

1. Lots of unhealthy food, but no turkey. Turkey without family is like, to coin another American phrase, Smith without Wesson, Mason without Dixie, or to stay in my field a little more, Woodward without Bernstein. It's just not right. So instead we had tappas for lunch and a good hearty Dutch Stamppot for dinner. I know, potatoes, onions, carrots, and sausage for Thanksgiving may seem like sacrilege, but it may my family very happy, and at the end of the day, that's what matters.

2. Lots and lots of movies. From Coraline, to Funny People, to whatever was on TBS, we watched it.

3. Lots of sleeping in and laying around. Although I did take a shower on Thursday and put on sweatpants, husband-dear and the boys argued that that showed way too much initiative, and they would sit around and not shower. And if that meant they would be stinky, then God help them, but so be it. Well, thank goodness they weren't stinky, but they did lay around. All. Day. Long. It was amazing.

Can you tell it was an awesome Thanksgiving? It gave us enough energy to go for a run and take the kids to the Museum of Aviation on Friday morning, complete our Christmas shopping on Friday afternoon, pressure wash the house, clean the windows, and trim the bushes on Saturday, and go for a long bike ride on Sunday.

And in case you're worried I'm hitting a post-Thanksgiving slump, no worries. Review week and finals are upon us at last, so no time for a slump. Happy last day of November!