We thawed, and the 2-inch snowfall which brought our topographically-challenged city to a halt has melted away down into storm drains and low-lying fields. I'm always thankful for the rain that returns after a temperature plummet. (I'm going to whisper now: I love the rain.) (If I say that too loudly I'll get pummeled with rotting apples.)
On Thanksgiving, I did not deep-fry, in a vat of boiling butter, a cube of butter dipped in a butter-batter. God knows there have been times when I've wanted to, but I've always managed to stop myself before I went too far. And for this restraint, I am thankful.
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...and your heart thanks you...I'm sure.
ReplyDeleteYou can eat so very very very well, superiorly even, w/o overeating until you burst or consuming bazillions of carbs and fats that aren't good for you. And then feel and be sick.
ReplyDeleteWhy do people feel the stuffing and overeating and all the rest are what these holidays are? I don't get it. Not in these days when all this kind of food is always available and people eat it every day as it is.
Where we were kids, the parents (and mine were the most so) were very strict. Sugar intake was rigidly restricted and so on and so forth. Chocolates and many other goodies only came around at this time of year -- the special baking and so on. And we kids were indeed allowed to super-indulge between Thanksgiving and New Year's, on all the family observances, and the school, church and community ones as well.
It was a parenthesis of color and light, with the green trees, red Santa Clauses, gold and silver angels, the blue robes of the mother of Jesus, the silver snowlakes, green Santa elves, and it was social. It was a special time, this annual, seasonal time-out from the constant daily round of very hard work (though for the farmers who had animals, the twice daily chores still continued) -- but the men and boys tended to do this together too, on the feast days. The one who was the host had lots of extra overalls and boots to put on over the men's 'sunday' clothes -- and his lucky wife got to launder them too!) The winter hadn't yet chewed us up.
It was an authentic holiday season, that culminated with Christmas AND PRESENTS! Which, except for our birthdays, was the only time we got presents. But now kids get stuffs every day all the time.
So I don't get any of this.
There is a lot about my growing up that was just plain awful, but the holiday season was always wonderful. Even our parents loved it and had fun and were kinder, gentler and less strict.
Love, c.
Hi T - I'm a bit late in the day for Thanksgiving greetings, but I bring them anyway (have been away again, and without internet access). . . May you have just the right amount of rain, just enough snow and an abundance of sunshine. (And good on you for exercising butter-batter restraint!). L, C x
ReplyDeletere Foxessa. People are also made to feel guilty, inadequate, and mean, if they don't adhere to all the over-blown-consumerism.
ReplyDeleteSome of us simply resist (that doesn't mean we don't enjoy ourselves), whilst others go ahead and SPEND what they probably haven't got.