Sunday, November 3, 2013

It's November

Finally...  My favorite month of the year is here!  I love everything about November, the sweater weather, curling up on the couch with a warm cup of coffee, the first few snows, and of course Thanksgiving.  It's been my all time favorite holiday since I was a little girl.  I've always loved it more than Christmas...  At the age of 8 I didn't look forward to getting presents on Christmas, I looked forward to my family all coming together at Thanksgiving, sitting around the table and laughing...  Eating turkey, helping my mom bake.  I could go on and on! 

After my mom passed away in 2006 it took me a while to kind of get my groove back so to speak.  When she died, our family all split up and went our separate ways.  The first couple years were rough and sad.  But then I realized, duh.  I've got my OWN family!  Just because things are different doesn't mean they have to be bad!  And since then, it's been better than ever!

It was hard to tell my hubbs family that we wouldn't be going around to their houses anymore on the holidays.  We had usually spent Thanksgiving (and Christmas for that matter) running around like chickens with our heads cut off.  Trying to make it to all the different houses and stuffing ourselves into oblivion to keep everyone happy.  But we stood firm and continue to stand firm every year, we have our own family and are making our own traditions.  We want them to know the same joys that my hubbs and I both grew up with.  All the family coming together around our dining room table and all the noise and chaos.  I think that's the best part!  We sat our feet down about 6 years ago and we've had our holidays in our own home ever since.

At first it was difficult, it was change, nobody likes change.  But we are the only family on my hubbs side that has children.  So we had to set the precedent.  We told everyone they were welcome to come here and have dinner with us if they'd like.  The first year, we had EVERYONE!  I think we had about 15 people which is a lot to me lol.  Especially when I'm used to cooking for four!  But things have settled down since then, now we usually have about 8 every holiday. 

I don't know if you've ever watched the show Reba but one of my all time favorite episodes is the one where it's Thanksgiving and Barbra Jean wants to have dinner at her house but everyone ends up at Reba's anyway.  And BJ gets upset about it and Reba tells her that right now Reba is the turkey and BJ is the gravy, but some day BJ will be the turkey of her own Thanksgiving.  It made so much sense to me!  My mom was always the turkey, but now I get to be the turkey.  It's bittersweet really.  I'd gladly go back to being the gravy if I could but it just doesn't work that way.

Plus I know I won't always be the turkey...  Our children will grow up and have families of their own.  I'll happily be the gravy for them!  Happy November friends!  Eat turkey and be happy!

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