Thanksgiving

Not dismissing the importance of Thanksgiving to many families, but for me, Thanksgiving is not holy in any way, shape or form. I'm not originally from here, nor am I truly fond of big dinners where you stumble away from the table wishing you had wheels to cart you off to a horizontal position. Add to that, bumper to bumper traffic and crowded airports, buzzing loudly like bee hives interrupted only by announcements and irritated parents. Are we having fun yet?

Then come the countless reports of over-eating and epic family arguments, made even better by everyone being liquored up. Being a fly on the wall, I see the sad parody of it all: people running around trying to fit too much into too little time, only to be exhausted and edgy when the time comes to sit down and enjoy family and friends.

The past several years I've been lucky to be able to do some amazingly fun, healthy holiday hopping (no, not s-hopping), visiting friends - coffee here, a long walk there, a slice of pie elsewhere, and a good dose of relaxation and pottering about on a day when streets are deserted and shops are closed. The people you meet are friendly and wish you Happy Thanksgiving. It's been a wonderful tradition.

This year will be different. This year I will forgo visiting the warm homes and hearts of the families that have adopted me for the holidays for taking care of a friend's dog, a beautiful, bouncy bully-mix. This year I'm packing all my favorite foods: root vegetable chips, the creamiest of Bries, chocolate chip protein bars, smoked salmon from a tiny smokehouse in Nova Scotia only locals know, fresh bread from A & J Kings Bakery, and pounds and pounds of mixed nuts and dried fruit. This year I'm making crepes with peanut butter and bananas and drinking Swedish mulled wine. This year I'm going to lose myself in the raw beauty of the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Who needs turkey?

Happy Thanksgiving.


Eva Mossberg
http://evamossberg.blogspot.com