This year, I decided to really pay attention to how I was feeling as invitations were flying around for Thanksgiving. My family is pretty spread out; I have one sister who lives 10 minutes away, and she had already committed to spending the holiday hosting her husband's 15-plus family members up from Virginia. My goal in any situation is to just let the Universe guide and direct how things go. That's how things usually end up turning out according the best Plan, the Divine Plan. So, that's what I went with this year.
My mother, who lives in North Carolina, usually comes up a couple weeks before or after Thanksgiving, to avoid having to pay the astronomical fares reserved for the holiday week. This year, she was scheduled to come up in early November, until she found out she had perforated her eardrum. She was nervous about flying and decided that she would come up for Thanksgiving, after all. Since my sister was hosting so much of her husband's family already, I offered to host and invited my mother-in-law and sister-in-law to join us. At the last minute, my mother got the green light from her doctor to fly up earlier in November, as planned, so I was left with hosting Thanksgiving, even though I had originally not intended to. I'm not yet at the place where I enjoy cooking, and I don't have others to help me, as my sister-in-law and mother-in-law usually arrive right in time for dinner.
Mentally checking it off my To Do list, I went to Whole Foods and pretty much ordered one of everything. Still, I dreaded even having to heat it up. I don't know where this Bah Humbug-ness was coming from, but I was keenly aware of it bubbling up every time I thought of the holiday that was materializing. I have Stuff - Stuff around food, Stuff around holidays, Stuff around having a To Do list packed with way to many things To Do in any given day. So, when the thought was planted in my head by the Universe that maybe this wasn't the way the Holiday had to go, I was all ears.
"Maybe you could just go OUT to dinner..."
Whoa. What's that? Now that's an interesting proposition. While I was ruminating on the possibility, my sister-in-law called to say that her mom had taken ill and probably wouldn't be up to coming for dinner. "What would you say to going out for dinner?" I asked her. "Sounds good to me," she replied, without hesitating. My husband had essentially the same reaction.
After a quick scan of the Internet to find the best kid-friendly restaurant in Philadelphia, Bridget Foy's, we were set with a reservation for 6 at 5:30. The girls got new dresses, we all got to eat wonderful food (and didn't have to worry about cooking it or cleaning up) and I am back on my abstinent food plan, skyrocketing toward my goal of losing 45 pounds by my next birthday. (See my Recreating Liimu blog for more information about that journey.)
Last night, as my husband and I were putting away the groceries, he said to me, "You know, this was a perfect holiday. We saw my family for a little bit, saw your family for a little bit, but really didn't overdo it. It was great."
My thoughts exactly.
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1 comment:
I echo your sentiments. I am always in awe of those who love to entertain. To me, it just feels like a lot of work, and what's important is to be together. That's what the holidays are all about. And, you actually have more time to talk if you go out because when you play hostess,which I have done, you're constantly up 'n down from the table serving, cleaning, etc. It's never relaxing.
So...good for you for going that route!
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