Full

I'm so full!
That's why this post is a little late today. And to tell the truth - a little sluggish.
I'm still filled to the brim from Thanksgiving.

I'm full from the feast, of course.
I ate and ate and ate because it's the one holiday of the year when you are urged to pig out. (Or turkey out).

I'm filled with delight from seeing my family - those who live near enough to come through the woods and over the hill to Mama's house. And I'm filled with pleasure at the oh so modern convenience of being able to teleconference with my far-flung family on the left coast, across the continent from me. How wonderful that the whole clan can get-together face to face again!
(And this way too - we can avoid some of the inter-familial squabbles that come with the first serving of turkey. Why do so many of us revert to infancy at the family holiday table?)

But I'm full up with disgust at the TV commercials that no longer even try to hide the face of avarice that lurks behind the coming Holidays. Thanksgiving was the one All-American holiday free from blatant commerce. Eat and relax, watch TV - football or really ancient favorite movies, and doze off until someone else does the dishes.
No more. Leave the table and rush off to get trampled in one of dozens of midnight Thanksgiving sales? Ugh. No thanks there! Black Friday indeed!

In all, though, I'm filled with gratitude for Thanksgiving itself. At being able to host this lovely festival again in the spirit with which it was created, with love of country and family and sharing with friends. (And I'm tickled and proud of the fact that my leftovers were carted away with thanks.)

So, yes. I'm thankful! Very thankful. And full of delight.

And you?
I hope you are too.
How was your Thanksgiving?

Comments

[liz]

I spent a fair amount of time watching the commercials and it annoyed me silly. They're ruining MY seasonal holiday, which is Black Friday.

I love Black Friday. After I stopped working in retail (which I did for decades) I would go out on BF just to enjoy the human sillyness and finish (yea, I said it) my own shopping. There is no day more perfect to watch people reacting in all sorts of ways, wonderful and dreadful. I can't go this year (chemo) but my brother is reporting in for me.

These ads make it nasty - and intruding on thanksgiving is distasteful. I don't wnat ot hang out with the people that hop up from dinner and run to get in line for one of 3 tvs. I want to hang out with the people who do the dishes, hang out with the family, and wake up in the morning to spend the day together planning how fun the next holiday will be. It's not a day to count coup, it's a day to get your commerce done so you can spend the rest of the month wrapping boxes, addressing cards, baking cookies, and using the moeny you saved for charity drives.

[Maggie Robinson]

Like you, I am too full of turkey. I delivered leftovers to 2 of my daughters, and spent today reading---NO shopping. Over dinner yesterday we all decided we have each other and don't need Christmas presents--- except maybe for the grandchildren, who don't need anything either, but baby stuff is too irristible!

[Kalen Hughes]

I was lovely. A quiet meal with friends, then a laze on the couch with Amazing Grace.

[piper]

It is always interesting to me how the Thanksgiving in the US differs from Thanksgiving in Canada. the month is of course different, and while we do gorge on Turkey, it is usually on the Sunday night as the holiday (Monday) is spent travelling home. Shopping and football really don't enter into it at all.

[maryjoputney]

--I was lovely. A quiet meal with friends, then a laze on the couch with Amazing Grace. --

Kalen, what fun! We did the same. I loved Amazing Grace when it came out last spring, and it was lovely that it was released on DVD last week. So I bought a copy and spent a fair amount of energy herding cats (that is, getting my sister and her husband, both Leos, in front of the TV :) to watch the movie. Once it started, they were hooked, and really, really enjoyed it. A great story well told.

We had a mellow Thanksgiving. I was hostess with 8 people total, but we all contributed different dishes, so no one had to work too hard. The weather was so mild that after eating several guests ended up lounging outside on the screened porch.

I'm not prone to over-eating because it doesn't feel good, but I do love leftovers. Fill a plate with bits of the main dishes (except cranberry orange relish), pop in the microwave, and there's a great meal, as good as the original and a lot less work. :)

Jo, it's another indicator of Canadian wisdom that neither shopping nor football enter into the occasion. :) It is a tribute to my guests that no one even consider putting a tv on to watch a game.

And there are still leftovers left....

Mary Jo

[Susan Wilbanks]

We've been spending the week in Tulsa with my in-laws, and we fly back to Seattle tomorrow. It's been a fun week, with all the usual trappings plus a Christmas preview--we went ahead and exchanged our share of the gifts, since Dec. 25 we'll be in Birmingham with my family. I got books--just books. They know me well. We didn't really shop today, but I got one duplicate book, so we went to a Borders that's not part of a mall or shopping center and I traded it for store credit.

I do almost all of my shopping online anyway. It saves a lot of hassle, I can shop at 10:00 p.m. on a Tuesday instead of Saturday afternoon with thousands of my closest friends, and I can have gifts shipped directly to whichever side of the family we're spending the holiday with.

There was, however, plenty of football in our holiday. I'm an Alabamian married to an Okie. It's in the blood. I'm gnashing my teeth over having to miss the Alabama-Auburn game because we'll be on a plane tomorrow.

[margaret]

I'm in London, for Thanksgiving, as usual. Edith, your post reminded me of the holiday I keep missing Stateside.
But I did remember to be Thankful!

[RevMelinda]

We had a pretty relaxed Thanksgiving with just our little family and a couple of students from the college across the street.

I've been newly diagnosed with allergies to dairy and eggs, which meant some interesting changes to my "traditional" Thanksgiving dishes. Thanks to the miracle of the Internet and recipes freely shared in cyberspace, we could still have a delicious pumpkin pie (egg and dairy free and no one could tell!)--and I could get through the day without hives!

[Jane George]

Edith, where are you?
*She was last spotted in Cyberspace at 12:01 p.m.*

I cooked for the usual crew of my husband's relatives. The get-together was different this year though, because my sister the potato-mashing queen is in India on a Fulbright, and my 84 year old father-in-law was not feeling well and stayed home. Unfortunately, this caused everyone to think about what Thanksgiving will be like after he passes. I think he's the glue holding the sibs together. But as I told my dh, times change, and for now, we're thankful he's still with us and hope he feels up to our Yuletide bash!

[edithlayton]

Ohmygosh, I hope this gets from here to there this time.

I'm so glad so many have had a relaxing Thanksgiving.
I've been devouring so many leftovers it's gettiing dire.

Liz - all my best thoughts are with you - chemo is SUCH a drag - but worth it. You'll see. All will be well soon.

Melinda - welcome to the allergy crew!

Margaret - Hello!

Now - everyone else, do the right thing.
Chuck those leftovers in the trash!
best,
Edith who will never be hungry again (and that's not jut a Scarlett thing to say.)

[edithlayton]

And Jane - Voila!
Here I be!