Thanksbloggin...

An interesting thought occurred to me regarding the recently celebrated Thanksgiving holiday. Call it a Thanksgiving epiphany of sorts.

Having moved across the country earlier this year, 2011 was the first time I haven’t spent Thanksgiving with my immediate family. Being fond of turkey dinners with all the trimmings anytime of the year, I wasn’t about to miss the turk of all turkey dinners. Since I had made non-dinner plans for Thursday, I cooked my Thanksgiving masterpiece Wednesday night. It was a pathetic affair really: turkey legs (love the dark meat), stuffing, mashed potatoes, plus something green and healthy.

Then Thursday came along and on an impulse, I got invited to Phoenix restaurateur legend Bill Johnson’s Big Apple for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. It was an all-you-can-eat for $15 affair, but one plate of signature smoked turkey and all the traditional sides was more than enough. Plus there was some of the best pumpkin pie I ever tasted for dessert.

Anyway, this wasn’t meant to be a review of Bill Johnson’s Thanksgiving dinner (although I do highly recommend). Back to that epiphany. Not being surrounded by a smorgasbord of Thanksgiving delicacies made me realize how almost liberating it was to enjoy a small Thanksgiving this year. I never overate. I wasn’t sick to the point of hoarking (this has happened on some Thanksgivings!).

If it’s a day to give thanks for—among many other things—the plentiful food supply we enjoy in this country, then why do we gorge ourselves? Does that really demonstrate appreciativeness for good health?

It’s often stated that Thanksgiving is about spending time with family. We could all afford to spend more time with those that we love. So my thought is, why do we make Thanksgiving a single day?  Why not make the celebration last a week? Write a list ahead of time of everyone’s favorite side dishes. Build several nights’—even a week’s worth—of dinners, preparing different side dishes and desserts every night. That way everyone gets to enjoy their favorites, and there’s no need to stuff oneself sick on the final Thursday of November. Make time to share several meals as a family. I know, I should talk…I didn’t spend this holiday with mine.

Regardless, that is what I learned this year. There is nothing pleasant about being so full that you’re sick. It’s hard to appreciate something when it makes you ill in the end. Here’s to a week—and an entire year—of thankful feasting and gratitude.