OK, so you’ve (reluctantly) agreed to cook Thanksgiving dinner for the family this year, or maybe it’s your first time tackling what is arguably the most difficult meal of the season to plan and prepare. It will be a formidable task. So much planning, the endless prep, the fight for oven space – the list goes on and on. There’s a whole gaggle of close family (and that weird cousin you only see once a year) in the other room,…
Thanksgiving has come and gone and now all over the country, people are rushing to get their shopping lists done, their homes decorated, packages wrapped, and yuletide travel plans finalized. Everyone wants to have that Hallmark, Norman Rockwell-esque Christmas season, but more often than not, there are times that more closely resemble ‘Cousin Eddie’ trying to drain the RV’s sewer line out front than a Martha Stewart Christmas dinner. The holidays can be one of the most stressful times of…
I know I’ve ranted on this topic before, but every year, I shake my head at the annual pilgrimage of consumerism that is affectionately known as “Black Friday”. I just don’t get it. The Thanksgiving weekend is supposed to be about getting together with friends and family to celebrate, acknowledge, and appreciate all that has happened over the past year. The afternoon following that expansive feast should be spent playing cards, conversing and laughing over another glass of wine, watching…
More than any other holiday meal, you know what’s on the menu for the Thanksgiving feast. Turkey. It’s what’s for dinner. For those of you with some experience with this kitchen event, you’ll know that cooking a Thanksgiving turkey is not for the faint of heart. It’s a tough meal to nail, not only from the timing of all of those sides, but for cooking the bird itself, and there are as many ways to cook that holiday fowl as…
Well, Halloween has come and gone, and although the Christmas decorations have been up at your local box store since the beginning of October and Mariah Carey was just thawed out to ceaselessly scream her way through “All I Want for Christmas Is You” until New Year’s, let’s not forget that there is still another pretty big holiday to celebrate between now and “Ho-Ho-Ho” time. I’m of course talking about Thanksgiving. I don’t know when this holiday became the “Jan…
The holiday season brings many, many traditions that are observed by family and friends. Some of these have been passed down from generation to generation, some are created from the blending of families through marriage or commitment, and some are newly created on the spot in a single year that turn into an annual occurrence. When I was growing up, the big night for our family was Christmas Eve. Following an evening church service (where my brother and I were…
All of this holiday shopping has folks flustered and flummoxed trying to find that perfect gift, but buying that perfect present is only part of the story. There’s still one thing left to do before it can be enjoyed (or hated) on Christmas morning. It still has to be wrapped. There are many schools of thought on this. There are those who work hard to “theme” their wrapping paper, making sure it either all matches or follows some coordinated color…
A very, scary Halloween to you! Yes, this is the day to celebrate ghouls, goblins, and all things dark and terrifying. Not my favorite holiday, I must say. If you know anything about me, you’ll know that I am not a big fan of “things that go bump in the night” – or for that matter – things that go bump in the day. Imagine ‘Barney Fife’ from ‘The Andy Griffith Show’ when he’s scared or nervous. Yeah, that’s basically…
Happy Independence Day, everyone! July, 4th, 1776 was a momentous day in our history, and we celebrate it annually with parades, cook-outs, vacation weekends and of course, fireworks. It’s hard to believe that’s it’s been 246 years since the thirteen colonies declared their Independence from the English Crown. In just four short years, we’ll be celebrating another milestone. Our Semiquincentennial, or 250 years of independence. I hate to be a party-pooper, but that seems like that will be hard to…
Yes, today is Valentine’s Day (don’t worry, Dollar General probably still has a card and some cheap flowers if you forgot), and while you and your sweetheart (if you have one) are reading cards, going out to dinner, or pounding chocolate squares filled with mysterious ingredients by the fist-full, you may be thinking – “where did all of these traditions come from”? Holiday Origins As with most holidays, the origins of the holiday are a mixed bag. There were many…