If you have taken the time out of this busy day to read my column, thank you.
I know this day of gratefulness can also be a day of great stress for some.
The amount of stress for the day is probably dependent on what type of mom you are on Thanksgiving.
I will start off with the type of mom I am on this day.
The mom that avoids the kitchen at all costs. Lucky for me this year my sole responsibility is trying to get there before the carving of the turkey. That will be a challenge in itself, but I will do my best. If I am feeling a little radical that morning, I may stop and grab a pecan pie from the frozen food section at my nearest Wal-Mart on the way (or whatever store happens to be open).
I get to be this kind of mom today simply because my mom is not. She is the mom that cooks the entire Thanksgiving dinner all by herself. She begins prepping in the kitchen days before and wakes up early on Thursday morning to finish up the entrée, side dishes, and makes sure we have all the condiments, drinks, desserts and utensils. She may allow a couple trusted family members to contribute, but most of the time she is shooing us out of the kitchen because if it’s not done her way- it is not the right way.
Then, there is the potluck dinner mom. Most likely she prepares the entrée to perfection, but she allows family members to bring the rest. My family did this one year before and it was an awesome way to show off each loved one’s signature dish. This also takes some of the stress off the host and allows more time for relaxation and enjoying time with family.
If I am ever set to host the family Thanksgiving again, knowing me and the creative ways I try to defer stress all together, I will be the mom who orders in. This could be challenging to find a restaurant that is open on Thanksgiving, but I will do some research beforehand. We may be eating BBQ or Chinese food, but sometimes it’s good to stray from the usual traditional feast of turkey and dressing. We can eat that for Christmas next month.
This reminds me of the iconic scene in “A Christmas Story,” where the mother spent all day being the type of mom that my mother is this year. She spent hours upon hours preparing that Turkey that her husband could not help but to sample, just to have that pack of hounds break in the house and demolish it. This incident led to the family having to eat out at a restaurant for their Christmas dinner where they witnessed the chef aggressively chop the head off their main course.
So, if you are not the traditional type of mom and maybe you would prefer to not have people coming in and out of your house, then having to clean up whether you cooked or called in, perhaps you should try being the restaurant mom.
No matter how you choose to enjoy Thanksgiving make sure you take some time to actually appreciate it. Soak in those moments with your loved ones whether you are the do-it-yourself mom or the mom that just shows up. It is okay to be either of those or everything in between, just do not be the mom that forgets to defrost the turkey!
Happy Thanksgiving!
(Paige Nash is the mom that shows up, as well as digital journalist for Webster Parish Journal.)
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