Big F-ing (Turkey) Day

It’s coming. It’s coming THIS WEEK. The Big F-ing Turkey Day is upon us. Thanksgiving is here!

Are you as caught off guard by that statement as I am? I mean, how in the heck did it suddenly become the end of November?? Basically my question is: Where did Fall go, folks? Do I need to put out an APB on September and October? I’m sure it has something to do with the fact that it was still 90 degrees here in Texas until about week ago. It just didn’t feel like Fall, and so I think I missed the memo that my favorite holiday was around the corner.

Thanksgiving really is my favorite of all the holidays. It’s not about buying gifts and planing around difficult weather for travel. It’s not about dressing up in your Spring best (and don’t get me started on the pastels that adorn that particular holiday). And it’s not about hoping that it’s not too hot to actually be outside to enjoy fireworks.

For me, Thanksgiving is about the things I enjoy the most. It’s about the best F words out there–friend, family, football, and FOOD! (see, I got you with the title, but get your mind out of the gutter! There are other F words to be celebrated!)

In our particular case, Thanksgiving traditions morph based on where we are living, and who is around the table with us. We have been celebrating different versions of the now-popular “Friendsgiving” for many years. Being attached to the military as we are, we never know where we’ll be, or who will be in the area without a place to go. I just can’t let someone rely on a TV dinner for this big day. I HAVE to ask people to join us, even if I’ve just met them. It’s an illness, I suppose. But I know I wouldn’t want to spend this great day alone, so I figure others feel the same.

Last year I regaled you with the story of my first Thanksgiving after we got married. We were in a new city–heck, a new COUNTRY for that matter. And things didn’t exactly go the way I planned, but it was good to gather around the table with new friends and create new memories with traditional food that I knew from home.

That’s really what it’s all about, isn’t it? Celebrating the F words of the holiday–being with friends, possibly family, watching football (one of my favorite things, BTW), and waxing nostalgic with foods from your childhood and from others who bring their memories to the table, too.

Now THAT is what I’m most thankful for this, and every year.

I hope you enjoy this sampling of my Thanksgiving menu favorites as much as we do. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

The Big F-ing Thanksgiving Menu–