Hello, faithful reader: I have returned! I didn't mean to worry anyone with my absence; I was simply exhausted from my Thanksgiving trip -- during which time I also did not write. Basically, I took a vacation, then I needed a little vacation to recover from said vacation. I still had to go into work, of course, but pretty much nothing else happened.
However, with my much needed rest (and much enjoyed vacation) complete, I'm back to updating regularly. There may be a few hiccups as I get back in the swing of things, but I don't anticipate missing any more posts.
Showing posts with label Thanksgiving. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Thanksgiving. Show all posts
Monday, December 7, 2015
Tuesday, November 17, 2015
Tuesdays with Media: Lost in the shuffle
Where are the Thanksgiving songs? Why aren't stores overflowing with Thanksgiving-themed decorations? What about Thanksgiving-specific clothes or Thanksgiving candy?
I'm sure you've noticed that as far as holidays go, Thanksgiving is sort of a footnote these days. Sure, we get special time off from work and school and we have traditions associated with the holiday, but it's largely ignored by retailers. If you follow holidays according to what displays you find at department stores and grocery stores, we go straight from Halloween to Christmas. This has been happening for years, but this year feels particularly extreme.
Usually, the Christmas displays start getting set up before the Halloween stuff is taken down, but there's usually a little bit of attention given to Thanksgiving. This year, I haven't seen a single display reminding shoppers to buy turkey and pie and lots of side dishes. It's just "Buy candy and costumes for Halloween!" and straight to "Buy presents for Christmas!" I remember as a kid there were these Reese's Peanut Butter cups sold in the shape of a turkey -- those too are absent this year.
There are even sales that start on Thanksgiving. We're all used to "Black Friday" sales going out of control, but they're so popular that stores are starting things even earlier. Unfortunately, they're happening earlier and earlier because they're popular. Basic supply and demand dictates that if people didn't go to these shopping events, stores would stop having them. We as a population have decided that we like giving up Thanksgiving for a chance to get a good deal.
This is particularly troubling for me since Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Yes, I love to cook and bake, but that's not why I love Thanksgiving. I love Thanksgiving because the holiday is about being with family. Even in 2013, when I spent Thanksgiving with the Simciks, I was still spending it with family, just family that I'm not related to by blood or marriage. Thanksgiving is just about spending time together and relaxing. Yes, we eat a big meal, but that's just an activity we're doing together. There's no stress about gift-giving, like with Christmas, and since it's a cultural holiday rather than a religious one, we can say "Happy Thanksgiving" to people without worrying about offending them. And, yes, I'm excited to bake the turkey again this year, but I'm more excited about for whom I'm baking it.
Too bad for the people that are giving that up, because it truly is their loss.
I'm sure you've noticed that as far as holidays go, Thanksgiving is sort of a footnote these days. Sure, we get special time off from work and school and we have traditions associated with the holiday, but it's largely ignored by retailers. If you follow holidays according to what displays you find at department stores and grocery stores, we go straight from Halloween to Christmas. This has been happening for years, but this year feels particularly extreme.
Usually, the Christmas displays start getting set up before the Halloween stuff is taken down, but there's usually a little bit of attention given to Thanksgiving. This year, I haven't seen a single display reminding shoppers to buy turkey and pie and lots of side dishes. It's just "Buy candy and costumes for Halloween!" and straight to "Buy presents for Christmas!" I remember as a kid there were these Reese's Peanut Butter cups sold in the shape of a turkey -- those too are absent this year.
There are even sales that start on Thanksgiving. We're all used to "Black Friday" sales going out of control, but they're so popular that stores are starting things even earlier. Unfortunately, they're happening earlier and earlier because they're popular. Basic supply and demand dictates that if people didn't go to these shopping events, stores would stop having them. We as a population have decided that we like giving up Thanksgiving for a chance to get a good deal.
This is particularly troubling for me since Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Yes, I love to cook and bake, but that's not why I love Thanksgiving. I love Thanksgiving because the holiday is about being with family. Even in 2013, when I spent Thanksgiving with the Simciks, I was still spending it with family, just family that I'm not related to by blood or marriage. Thanksgiving is just about spending time together and relaxing. Yes, we eat a big meal, but that's just an activity we're doing together. There's no stress about gift-giving, like with Christmas, and since it's a cultural holiday rather than a religious one, we can say "Happy Thanksgiving" to people without worrying about offending them. And, yes, I'm excited to bake the turkey again this year, but I'm more excited about for whom I'm baking it.
Too bad for the people that are giving that up, because it truly is their loss.
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
Thanksgiving 2014
I'm going to do something different this time and just let some pictures speak for themselves. So, sit back and enjoy some visual proof that I had a great Thanksgiving and a Black Friday spent at the best mall there is: the National Mall.
I hope that everyone had a happy Thanksgiving.
I hope that everyone had a happy Thanksgiving.
Friday, November 28, 2014
Friday, November 29, 2013
A Lone Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving was spent with a family from the Ward, the Simciks. I have been over to their house several times to help the head of the household, Mark, winterize their pool, so I know the family well. That made joining them for dinner an easy decision.
They also put me to work. Since their oven isn't working, they roasted their turkey in a charcoal grill outside. I helped prep the briquettes and helped to add more every 45 minutes to keep the heat up (the bird turned out very well, but I think that has a lot to do with it being brined ahead of time). Also, the Simciks follow a mathematical formula when preparing for Thanksgiving dinner: n+1=π. In this case, n equals the number of guests expected for dinner and π equals the number of pies baked. Yes, they had one more pie than people at the table (while I enjoyed the pumpkin, apple and mince pies, my favorite was the chocolate pecan).
Also, this was the first time that I ever made Jordan's Jell-O Salad (you'd think since it bares by name that I would have attempted it at least once). I was really pleased to have on my plate and everyone else said that they also enjoyed it.
All in all, even though I didn't spend the day with my family, it was an enjoyable Thanksgiving.
They also put me to work. Since their oven isn't working, they roasted their turkey in a charcoal grill outside. I helped prep the briquettes and helped to add more every 45 minutes to keep the heat up (the bird turned out very well, but I think that has a lot to do with it being brined ahead of time). Also, the Simciks follow a mathematical formula when preparing for Thanksgiving dinner: n+1=π. In this case, n equals the number of guests expected for dinner and π equals the number of pies baked. Yes, they had one more pie than people at the table (while I enjoyed the pumpkin, apple and mince pies, my favorite was the chocolate pecan).
Also, this was the first time that I ever made Jordan's Jell-O Salad (you'd think since it bares by name that I would have attempted it at least once). I was really pleased to have on my plate and everyone else said that they also enjoyed it.
All in all, even though I didn't spend the day with my family, it was an enjoyable Thanksgiving.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Sunday, November 15, 2009
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