Hello friends! Jean - thanks for getting us started today. Sorry that you endured a lot of tensions during family holidays in the past. You might have topped the cake with the niece that committed murder. Yikes. And you are one of the sweetest people. Just goes to show that sometimes apples can grow FAR AWAY from the tree! I also think it's fine for people to find their own way to celebrate the holidays. With people or by yourself, do what's right for you. Hope you get a better night's rest tonight. Susan - did you enjoy your 2 Thanksgiving meals? Hope you had a great time! Bernie - My extended family also has our primary holiday meal around 2:00 - 3:00 in the afternoon. But I too, would be flexible depending on the host. Thankfully my own family is pretty drama free, and I'm thankful for all the members who have made it that way. Sorry about your youngest niece who is being a pill, and in the past that your alcoholic uncle ruined holidays. I truly love that saying, that unforgiveness is like swallowing poison in hopes that the other person will die. I remind myself of that from time to time, because it is so true! Linda - sorry to hear that your family also has had estrangements throughout the years. Good for you for considering bargains for a while before pulling the trigger. Glad to hear that this year's dinner was better than last years'. Barbara & Meallen - Thank you for the Happy Thanksgiving wishes!
I had planned to get online yesterday and wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving, but it was a whirlwind of busyness in the morning before I left to go to my mother's house. I picked some cherry tomatoes from the garden to take with me, and my DD helped me harvest all the remaining good pomegranates from our trees, and we filled a basket with those to take and share. Also brought a jello salad, 2 pumpkin pies, and 2 kinds of cookies that I baked, and a cranberry/orange relish that I made the day before. Once there, I made the shrimp cocktail, green beans, and gravy. By the time we sat down to eat, I was tired, lol. Thankfully, our kids (in their 20s and 30's) now do clean-up, so I finally sat down and rested.
At the Thanksgiving meal, my mother asked us to go around and say what it is we're thankful for, and we said over and over that we're thankful for our family. We know so many that have the issues you all mentioned yesterday, with estrangements and fighting and all. It's not that we don't get annoyed with each other and occasionally bicker, but no one's ever let it get out-of-hand. I was the one outlier who said that I was thankful that both of my DC graduated from college this year. That made everyone laugh. Bernie - when we threw our DC a graduation party back in June, we didn't invite my BIL to come. He's been a hard-core alcoholic for decades. At least no one in my DH's family gave us a hard time for not inviting him. I think they understood why.
I don't really have plans to shop today. Maybe I'll look a bit online later, but I feel like having a quiet day. I think I'll watch some Hallmark Christmas movies on tv and do some mending.
Waves to everyone! ~ Charlene
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