Holidays | Book Chatter

Give Thanks

What is it with everyone this year?

Christmas began to creep into stores early October and now it’s full-blown Christmas everywhere you go. I used to love waking up the day after Thanksgiving and seeing the stores transformed into a Christmas wonderland. It signaled the arrival of Christmas and it was so exciting!

This year, I am struggling with it. I love Christmas for a lot of reasons but I love Thanksgiving too and I feel as if it’s getting the shaft big time this year. How do you avoid the holiday “creep”? Or do you? Maybe you just give into it. I feel pressured to start my shopping but you know what happens when I shop early? I forget how much I’ve gotten and I end up with a lot of extra stuff and really, none of it is needed. Sometimes, I even forget to wrap stuff and find it later! That has happened to me at least three times.

This whole holiday thing has really been on my mind lately. Has it been on yours? When I get like this, it helps to jot stuff down that makes me happy and I invite you all to join me. I’m grateful for so many things and taking a moment to focus on Thanksgiving keeps it real.

Things to look forward to between now and Thanksgiving:

Slowly planning the holiday meal. Usually I make the same things but there are a couple of new dishes that I add to mix it up a little. This recipe, was a new dish that I tried when I went gluten-free and it became a staple.
Time off! I am taking the week of Thanksgiving off. I try to every year, but this year with all of the job changes at work, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to. I’m looking forward to the time off.
Coming up with my Thanksgiving reading list. I’ve got the week off, I must have stuff to read. I don’t always stick to the list but it’s fun to make one.
Sitting down with my December calendar and having a come to Jesus moment. Mapping out December can be a little stressful for some, but I take comfort in knowing what I’ve got coming up. I geek out when it comes to my planner.
If the weather cools down, it will be nice to take some walks with the Otter Pup. It’s been warm so I’ve left that job to The Hub but as the decorations go up, it’s fun to walk around the neighborhood.
Coming up with my holiday playlist. For both Thanksgiving and Christmas. I tend to not listen to music all that often. Weird, but around the holidays I really like it.
Movie watching! I watch a lot of movies this time of year. A must-watch movie: A Miracle on 34th Street (1947). It puts me in the mood for Christmas. We usually watch it on Thanksgiving day.
Spending Thanksgiving day with my immediate family which is just the four of us and the pup. We lounge around in our pajamas, eat and eat and just enjoy each other’s company. I cherish this time together.

Your turn! What are you looking forward to between now and Thanksgiving?

Grab Your Book

Guess what, guys? Today is my Friday! I know some people have to work over the holiday but I think many of you are off. What do you have planned for the long weekend? BBQs? Picnics? Trips to the beach? Initially I thought we might have some people over. At least, that is what The Girl thought. She dreams up these gatherings on her own. Unfortunately, after working all week the last thing I want to do is throw a party of any kind. Call me anti-social. I’ll forgive you.

Right now, the plan is to make a big pot of chili, grill some burgers and hot dogs and watch a bunch of movies. The movies? Haven’t picked them out yet but it doesn’t even matter. Me, in front of the TV with my feet up is all that matters and if that happens, all will be right in the world. I also plan to mix-up some Mint Infused Limeade. We sampled this drink a few weeks ago and it was very refreshing! This drink is non-alcoholic but you could add a little vodka if you wanted to add a little something to it.

Mint infused limeade — Photo & Recipe from Food & Style

Somewhere in all of this we will watch the Nathan’s hot dog Eating contest! It’s a tradition to watch but depending on who is in it, I sometimes have a mini-gag fest with myself. It’s just not attractive to watch a bunch of guys scarf food down in that manner. And yeah, it somehow does not affect our own hot dog eating, which is a little weird if you ask me.

Fireworks? We might all pile into the car last-minute to see the fireworks in progress, but I doubt we will want to after the sloth of the day. None of us like crowds and we have the Otter Pup to consider and she’ll be 4 years-old tomorrow! We knew she was about 5-6 months old when we rescued her so we picked July 4th for her birthday. She has been a joy. I think she likes us too. Can you tell?

The Otter Pup and The Hub — The Otter Pup is 4 years old!

Oh, and I can’t forget the reading can I? That is a huge part of my weekend. Especially since I am still limping along with The Goldfinch. Much more fun to discuss is The Summer of King. I started The Regulators and it’s reminding me a bit of Mr. Mercedes, at least in its opening. It takes place in the summer so it’s the perfect read for me right now. I just want to drop everything to read it. I am not that far in, only about 15% but I can already tell that I am going to like it.

That said, grab your book, pour a refreshing drink and enjoy your weekend!

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