Thanksgiving was a very busy time for me. This is the holiday I insist the children come home. The house has to be cleaned and magic proofed (or not). Food has to be purchased and carted in. Bedding washed and returned to the beds. Lex has to be scrubbed clean as well as Tootsie Too. They don’t seem to care for this. It took me an hour to chase Tootsie down and then I found Lex on the roof refusing to come down. I had to waste a pound of bacon luring him into my clutches. Picture me jumping out of the bushes at him with a garden hose and a bucket of soapy water while he’s cooking it to crispy. It’s too cold for this nonsense!
The family refuses to make the trip without their pets and I would never ask them to leave anyone behind. Fortunately, all of the various giant spiders, talking geckos, and miniature dinos get along. The neighbor’s cat Purr loves stalking them. We sit in the windows, watch the action and cheer her on although she always seems to miss when she pounces.
This year, it took a bit to convince Henry the Frog Waiter (hiding out with me from the evil shaman who kidnapped his sister) to join us in disguise. But finally the girls talked to him about the possible consequences of being left alone with all those carnivores and no one to stop them from consuming him. He agreed to take a disguise potion made by Anne my middle daughter and quite the clever spell weaver. He looked nice as an elderly grandmother.
I don’t really cook any more so I make reservations every year at a great restaurant that specializes in turkey and the most decadent desserts ever. Each month, all year, I save a bit to cover the cost for one really nice time together. The meal is buffet so people can go back for seconds and thirds and they only have to take what they want. No clean your plate of that awful stuff mom puts on it like squash. Why squash? Ew! Best yet I get to indulge in dressing and cranberries. No one else in the family likes them so … We sit around a big table and chat and just have a really nice time laughing and eating just what we want. Think about it – no dishes to clean up! We can just relax and enjoy each other’s company.
In the past we’ve gone to the movies, but the last few years, we’ve just gone on home to enjoy being together playing board games while watching movies. Maybe even napping a bit… maybe with Rosie the Tarantula on my head doing a great job of massaging it. Ah the joys of having a really great family. It’s nice to get together and I’m thankful for all of them including the tiny Triceratops curled up in my lap, my grandson cuddled next to me as I read him a story and Lex the gargoyle imitated a fireplace to warm us all.