We did it. We made it through Thanksgiving. We are safely in our stretch pants swearing off sweet potato mash and pumpkin pie for at least a few weeks until Christmas parties find us stuffing our faces with bacon wrapped dates. Face it, the holidays provide ample opportunity for gluttony and busting out the Pinterest recipes we’ve pinned all year long that are 8,356 calories per bite. Don’t believe me? I present exhibit A: it was the night before Thanksgiving and we had travelled 7 1/2 hours (with kids) to Eastern Oregon. To celebrate our arrival I indulged in crab wontons from a greasy spoon. The next morning I ate a scrumptious croissant bacon and egg Starbucks breakfast sandwich and one of those blasted holiday lattes . Total calorie count: 1 million. Needless to say I had thrown caution to the wind well before I sat down to the turkey feast.
Just hours before turkey and cranberry sauce from a can we had a toddler who refused to nap in his pack’n’play at the hotel which left us with the brilliant idea of driving around for 2 hours with second latte from Starbucks in hand. We drove and drove and drove. That little tyke finally gave up the fight and fell asleep in his car seat. My husband dropped me off to the festivities and he kept driving. By the time he joined us the food had been sentenced to tin foil and I managed to prepare a plate for him before it was all gone. Exhausted we ate and left no room for chocolate cream pie but ATE IT ANYWAY.
A few hours after the feast we met up with cousins at the local Denny’s because I was in a legitimate food desert on Thanksgiving in the middle of nowhere. We laughed over greasy nachos and quesadillas alongside quite a few others who made their way to America’s “favorite” diner. The next morning we drove another 7 1/2 hours to collapse at home.
Don’t ask me for a picture of my plate full of turkey and mashed potatoes, but if you need a picture of a half eaten quesadilla I’ve got you covered.
We did it.
Now with my second Thanksgiving as a mother of two I’m quickly realizing that holidays can often include more exhaustion than any other emotion or state of mind. Last year we were stuck in traffic at a standstill for an hour with a 4 week old. Gone are the days of gallivanting from house to house eating on my merry way. Now it’s travel high chairs and nap times and OH MY GOSH so much stuff.
I remember one year while living in England I was in charge of roasting the bird while others brought side dishes. The morning of Thanksgiving I woke up without a recipe and a frozen turkey. You can imagine my shock when I read that you must defrost it for 30 hours. Whoopsie daisy. I googled how to defrost a turkey in a hurry which led me to thread where women were throwing their turkeys in the dishwasher if they were in a pinch. Brilliant. I tossed my big bird in and hoped for the best. An hour later I found myself with a defrosted bird. I had to go to work so a friend came over to stuff it. She was quickly grossed out by stuffing yummies up it’s bits so she put on dishwasher gloves before she finished. I came home a couple hours later and the house smelled divine. I opened the oven door and the unthinkable happened. Soap bubbles came pouring out of the oven. Yes, soap bubbles. I was mortified and couldn’t believe it! My roommate was equally stunned. I scooped out the remaining bubbles and whispered a prayer hoping no one would get sick because you bet your bottom dollar we were eating that bird. When I arrived I shared my plight with the host and with wide eyes she insisted we pray again that no one would find out or get sick. We did just that. To our dismay my roommate was in the dining room explaining what she’d witnessed. I decided to laugh it off and chalk it up to a memorable Thanksgiving.
With both pre-kid and kid friendly Thanksgivings gone past I’ve decided to savor as best I can the idea of giving thanks with those I love. I have so very much to be thankful for. With the 7 1/2 hour trip my husband and I recounted the ways Jesus has been near. It was our own little Thanksgiving with mixed nuts and water while the kids slept in their carseats. It was beautiful.
We made it through Thanksgiving and now on to Christmas. Oh Christmas, may you not be a time of busyness or consumerism but sweet and sacred, holy and hopeful.