Getting It Together

A few weeks ago, I had a trial run on my physical and mental fitness for Thanksgiving and the upcoming holiday season. That morning, I  changed the bed, cleaned up the previous night’s dinner dishes, ran a load of wash, made quiche and lemon bars for a sick friend, and played two games of Spider Solitaire (yes, it sneaked back here inside our new laptop and I can’t figure out how to get rid of it) and, when I checked my watch, it was only 8:09.  I would say I passed with distinction.  It’s very nice to know that, at sixty-something, I can still wake up with a tiger in my tank since I mostly wake up feeling like I was run over by a herd of elephants.

After a delightful weekend in New York with the most adorable baby in the universe, I'm now ready to get serious.  My actual preparation for the Thanksgiving holiday started early this week with lists.  I now have 6 lists and I'm not done yet.  I have a list of menus for Thanksgiving week from Sunday night when my mom arrives (lamb stew) to Tuesday night when Megan gets in to Wednesday night when we have our annual pre-Thanksgiving dinner (shrimp creole) with close friends to Turkey Day itself.  I have a general list of things to do like getting flowers, ironing napkins and picking up the turkey.  (That has to wait until my mom can walk into the butcher shop with me and hear the guys behind the counter call out, “Hi, girls.”) There’s a list of what to do each day between now and Thanksgiving - we’ll be picking out a dressing recipe Monday morning, if you want to offer your opinion.  I have two grocery lists, one for this Friday and one for next Monday, both of which are works in progress. Finally, I’ve drawn up a list of things to put off  until after Thanksgiving, like planning Christmas. 

All of these lists are in a steno pad which I probably should chain to my wrist like a briefcase full of diamonds.  I had my second pre-holiday brush with disaster when I was pulling out of Kroger’s parking lot and happened to see my steno pad still sitting in the baby seat of the grocery cart.  Whew!  If I lose my lists at this time of year, the holidays are toast.  In case you’re wondering, my first pre-holiday disaster happened that same day, just before I entered Kroger’s, when I discovered that a BIC pen had blown up in my car spreading ink all over me, my cell phone and the car.  Ink is surprisingly sticky and a little goes a long way.  Naturally, the soap dispenser in the restroom was empty so I had to go up and down the grocery aisles looking like Mama Smurf. When I got to the check-out counter, a cashier took pity on me and offered me her bottle of hand sanitizer which did an outstanding job on my hands and face.  They say bad things come in threes so I don’t know what’s next, but I’m definitely not driving Paul’s car this month.  (If you’re wondering why, read my October post “Why Can’t We Be Friends.”)

My holiday list-making might sound a little compulsive, but lists give me peace of mind.  First, when I write something down, I don’t have to wonder whether or not I’ll remember it in five minutes, although I might wonder where I put my notepad.  Second, I’m less likely to have to send someone out (or go myself) at the last minute for chicken broth or cinnamon sticks.  A long time ago, I stopped having the dream about turning up for an exam, being unable to find the classroom and, in fact, being totally unprepared for the test, plus having no clothes on.  Now, in my anxiety dreams, I am expecting dinner guests in half an hour, have no idea what I am going to serve and, in fact, have no food in the house, plus I can’t find a bathroom.  Lists keep my nightmare from becoming a reality.  And, finally, after I check everything off my lists, I know I can relax with my family and friends which is the best and most important part of any holiday.

Let’s face it - with or without lists, the holiday season can be hectic, demanding, and excessive and it’s not always easy to keep the focus on fun. In the next six weeks, if you lose track of the fun because you’re up to your elbows in cookie dough or onions to be chopped or shrimp to be peeled and you wonder “Why am I doing this?” click the link below for some answers from The Designated Celebrator.  (You can read this piece but, if you have time, click “Listen.” After the NPR introduction, you’ll hear the author read it herself, which is much better.)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6741965

P.S. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!!

P.P.S. Thanks to Megan for the photos of our grandson, Willem, who is too young to even lick a drumstick this year