Apparently, the fabulous TV cook, Ina Garten, is going out for Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow. She’s tired of cooking. And she says store-bought is fine….whatever it takes to get food on the table.
I love it.
I enjoy cooking and we will definitely pull out some favorite dishes from each of our two families. But I am not a good dessert-cook, and I am very happy to buy crust, or solicit contributions from attendees on that score! And while I would love to have a fabulous-looking table, it will likely be the same old cloth, plates, and napkins as always….and that’s just fine.
In a previous town, we used to have a Friendsgiving where we all brought a dish, and it was wonderful. Sometimes some odd combinations of food (!), but delicious and interesting! And we all cleaned up and played games. So much fun.
Some of us will have a houseful today, some will have a quiet day, but I hope you can do whatever is necessary to make it as stress-free as possible.
Your table does not have to look like Martha Stewart’s.
Your food does not have to taste or look like you interned at a French bistro. And it doesn’t have to get to the table ‘on time’ (whatever that is).
Your TV does not have to be a 70 inch behemoth so that the football can be seen from the neighbor’s house.
Your family doesn’t have to be perfect (whose is?…I mean, other than mine naturally [hi fam!]), and your friends can be as weird as they always are (yeah my friends are definitely weird [hi friends!]).
The house doesn’t have to be spotless, or well-decorated.
The kids can drop things, the dog can steal things, the oven can burn things and it will all be fine.
The first Thanksgivings in Virginia and Massachusetts, celebrated that they had food at all and weren’t dying. So many of the early colonists died in those early winters and in battles with the indigenous people, that celebrating life was enough for genuine gratitude.
I reckon that’s about enough for us too. And most of us have so much more to celebrate besides, including store-bought pie crust, (and in my case, a dedicated readership of a small newsletter….thank you).
Happy Thanksgiving y’all.
Happy Thanksgiving to you, Dr. Waple. So grateful for your daily thoughts, and glad to have them back! ♥️