AJ, AZ - Thanksgiving

Isn’t Thanksgiving a great holiday?

        The weather is usually warmer than Christmas and often you can take a walk after dinner to settle it down. You can see whole families walking through the neighborhoods. Yesterday it was even 60 and sunny in Iowa.

        This is one holiday which hasn’t become too commercialized. You don’t have to worry about having the right gift for the right person. You don’t have to worry about wrapping the gift in the perfect matching paper and bow. You haven’t had to wander the malls and fight the crowds. Decorations are minimal.

        You don’t have to send out cards. Now, I know, there are many who send out Thanksgiving cards but it isn’t as expected as it is at Christmas.

        And here’s the best thing: the Thanksgiving goal is so simple and pleasurable. All you have to do to have a successful Thanksgiving is to enjoy family and friends and try as many new foods as you can at the buffet table. A most worthy goal.

The weather was a bit dicier than Iowa’s here in Arizona. It spitted on and off all day. In fact, as Gary and I were leaving our RV to walk over to the community building, it began to spit a bit harder. But, it was a typical Arizona rain and we just waited a few seconds inside and it was all over. We hadn’t seen any others walking over to the community building and were concerned that we had the wrong time. However, when we got closer, we saw lots of cars and lots of golf carts and were relieved that we didn’t have to eat all those deviled eggs ourselves.

Close to 200 people had come and were sitting around chatting or wandering around seeing old friends. Many foods were already on the tables and there are about 20 crock pots sitting on tables to the side still plugged in keeping warm.

The meal was a superb meal and we enjoyed it all. I got to try a few new things like pineapple bread pudding and also got to load up on some old traditional things like green bean casserole. I learned that there is an infinite way to cook yams but they all involve brown sugar. We met some new people and shared stories of RV’ing and why they now have a park model here in this resort.

I’m proud to state that I have fulfilled the Thanksgiving goal: my stomach is as round as a basketball. Now, if I can only go to tomorrow’s dinner without eating, I can get rid of it. I’d better sleep a lot so I can’t hear my stomach rumbling.

But, Christmas is coming up and I’ll do it all over again.