When it comes to holidays, the love of my life and I have spent our share of them being the perfect host and hostess. We have had all family members and a few strays at our home more times than we can count. No guest ever had to lift a finger other than bringing their fork to mouth. Those times are memorable, but they do end up taking their toll in the stress department.
When we downsized and moved to Florida we decided that we would do things different and make life easier for ourselves. We've cooked one big holiday for the family each year and left the rest to chance. Let someone else take the reigns, find a restaurant to eat at - didn't matter. Last year's restaurant was over priced and crappy at best. We had to find another alternative.
This year our Uncle Jack moved into an apartment at a retirement community. This has been his first time being on his own, and what better way to celebrate the holiday and Uncle Jack's new found independence than for the family to descend upon his residence for the Thanksgiving Feast.
After paying our 8 bucks per head, our party of 6 was ushered to our table. We picked and climbed our way through the obstacle course of durable medical equipment while dodging power scooter mounted seniors, but finally found our table right next to the salad bar and within sight of the dessert cart. Oh pumpkin pie how you tease me so! There was only one tense moment when one of Uncle Jack's normal table mates seemed like she wanted to throw down because she was forced to sit elsewhere. Come to find out later, she's a pretty big pro at being displaced, as she was a Hurricane Katrina survivor who was relocated to Citrus County.
Dinner was simple and tasty, and while I think most of us at the table could have used another portion or three of turkey and stuffing, we didn't push back from the table wobbly and gorged, intoxicated with gluttony. It was actually quite refreshing to feel normal knowing there wouldn't be a fight for the couch and control of the television remote.
I found this article on holiday weight management and thought it summed up some of my current ideas on how to deal with holiday glut. Not that I would really follow any of these things, but in the spirit of the holidays I may give one or two a shot. I mean, I already did tip number 3 in the article, but if I am perfectly honest with myself, I only did it because I am heading out to the bar to watch football today and eat greasy bar food and drink my weight in the hollow calories known as BEER! Thanksgiving Friday is a Football Day! Go Hogs, Beat LSU!
No comments:
Post a Comment