Post Thanksgiving Friday Five

Ah, the day after Thanksgiving--groan! Fortunately, I love Thanksgiving leftovers.

Thanksgiving is the American holiday when the greatest number of people travel somewhere else to celebrate. I am posting this from my son’s home in Minnesota where we are recovering from the food shopping and the preparations and the meal and the clean up. It is difficult to think of anything requiring much energy today, and I am enjoying my sweet baby granddaughter, so I will keep it simple.

For those of you not in the USA, I apologize for the nationalistic tone of this Friday Five!

1. Did you go elsewhere for the day, or did you have visitors at your place instead? How was it?

Kris and I cooked at Josh's house. Ken entertained Trinity--he has a broken leg and is pretty much off his feet. Kris' husband, Daryl, came over after work and he and Josh got turkeys on the grill. Smokey barbequed turkey is yummy! Trinity has found her voice. For a long time she was pretty quiet. No more. She smiles non stop, and she tends to yell happily. BAH! DOO JAH! Like that. She had all of us laughing.

2. Main course: If it was the turkey, the whole turkey, and nothing but the turkey, was it prepared in an unusual way? Or did you throw tradition to the winds and do something different?

See above. We've been grilling turkeys on the Webber grill for many years now.

3. Other than the meal, do you have any Thanksgiving customs that you observe every year?

We usually get out the Mah Jong set and play, or we play other games. This year we ate later than usual, and Trinity was cranky because it was her bedtime, so they went home and Ken and Josh and I vegged out on the couch. Josh was snoring in about five minutes, and Ken and I watched "The Incredibles." Maybe tomorrow we'll get some game playing in.

4. The day after Thanksgiving is considered a major Christmas shopping day by most US retailers. Do you go out bargain hunting and shop ‘till you drop, or do you stay indoors with the blinds closed? Or something in between?

One year Kris and I shopped on the Friday following Thanksgiving, and it was such a hassle we haven't done it since. But this year she is getting up to be at the store at six a.m. for someting she really wants, and she says she will go home and go back to bed. I will stay snuggled in bed till I have to get up, and then I will not likely shop. That could change, depending.

5. Let the HOLIDAY SEASON commence! When will your Christmas decorations go up?

I like them up right away. This year I'm not sure what will happen because Ken is unable to do any of the work. I'll be fortunate to get the tree up and the decorations lugged upstairs. No one will be visiting our place this Christmas (waah) so I'm not sure what I'll try to put up. The church will be decorated this week. On Dec. 2nd the local churches will have a sort of Christmas walk where we go to each church to see the decorated sanctuarys and read a portion of scripture. Our church is across from the high school, and our church is last on the schedule. From church we go to the high school for a community evening of Christmas music from local church choirs and other festivities. It's a nice way to begin the Christmas season.