"I'll have what she's having."

Hooo*

 I hope you survived your Thanksgiving. I participated in two glorious feasts, first at my Mom's, then at my  wife's niece's. For once I did not overindulge at either place, although I ate more than usual. At the niece's, I carved the turkey as I do every year both at Christmas and Thanksgiving dinner.  I guess no one else has the expertise or ability (or more likely a desire) to dismember a fowl.

The crowd at my mom's was rather subdued, only my mom, dad, brother, my wife and youngest son in attendance.  The rest of our small family was attending family commitments elsewhere. Still, even if all if the family was present and we brought in the cousins and their kids, we could fit around a table or two. It is a sad yet wonderful thing when you can have a family reunion on the patio.

In opposite contrast is the wild free-for-all at my wife's side of the family. One niece has five kids of her own and the other cousins and sisters and brothers and husbands and wives and offspring means a bunch of wild swirling, running and yelling; a cacophony of sound and chaos that frankly leaves me with a headache.  This was true long before I got old and cranky. But in the end it is fun and family and food and that is what the Holiday is all about, after all.

I am not even going to rant about the ridiculousness of the Black Friday craze.

Well, maybe a little.  I am sorry, but tires? Who is going to a men's store to pick up a suit at 1:00 in the am? Since we have moved the sales to Thursday evening I suspect we are only about a year away from The big Wednesday Morning pre-Black Friday sales. Heck, in no time we will start Black Friday sales back on a Friday again, only it will be the Friday after Halloween   Your grandkids will do the Black Friday sale the Friday after Christmas.


* in your best Ed McMahon.   I don't know why, just go with it.