Around the Bluhmin’ Town

By

Judy Bluhm

How is your Thanksgiving shaping up? It’s time for the Big Bird to grace our tables. Or maybe not. I mentioned that I will not be cooking a turkey or having anyone over this year. It set off a chain reaction that went from California to Ohio and bounced back to Arizona. Oh yeah, the world is getting smaller. I told a grandson in California that I wasn’t cooking a turkey, who then texted his brother in Prescott, who called me to see if I needed help, and he told his mother (my daughter) who called my niece in Ohio, who told my brother, and he emailed to ask, “am I okay?” Yikes! No, I am not exactly okay but relax everyone . . .I was just making a dinner decision! I love Thanksgiving!

The grand tradition of Thanksgiving was kicked off by settlers of the Plymouth Colony and the Wampanoag tribe back in 1621. Sure, it has changed quite a bit, but it is still an occasion to reflect on the things that we are thankful for and cherish most: friends and family. And Americans love Thanksgiving. We spend about $1.2 billion annually on turkeys and approximately 70 percent of us will eat a big bird for dinner. The average American spends $321 on this holiday and puts in about ten hours of preparation for the big day.

Did I mention that football has about 100 million viewers on Thanksgiving? Yep, plenty of good food, a turkey roasting in the oven, family, friends, television blaring the NFL and maybe shopping the next day have become Thanksgiving traditions.

Why is a turkey so difficult to cook? Maybe because it is a “once a year” specialty? Something is too complicated when the Butterball Turkey hotline receives one-hundred thousand calls every November and December! Wait, you mean I can’t thaw the turkey in the microwave? What do you mean I can’t put a cup of whiskey into the hot oven to baste it! I don’t have to flip it over. Well, what if I try to thaw it out in the bathtub in warm water overnight? Can I stuff it a week in advance?

Several of the “Butterball specialists” must tell callers to hang up and call 9-1-1. Your house is on fire! Do not call a hotline. And those hot oil cookers we like to use outside? Have your fire extinguisher handy and make sure it is placed far, far away from your house! No, do not light a blazing fire underneath your covered patio!

About one-hundred million Americans go shopping on Black Friday. Oh, and of all the shoppers, an estimated twelve percent of them will be intoxicated! Yes, no wonder Black Friday is a day of shoving and all manner of weird behavior.

Dear Readers, enjoy the beauty of a holiday that is about giving thanks for all the blessings in our lives, our family and the love that we share. Revel in the planning, cooking, baking, traveling, and gathering. And if you don’t feel like partaking of it, that’s okay too. Some years, we might need a break. No turkey required.

Judy Bluhm is a writer and a local realtor. Contact Judy at [email protected] or visit www.aroundthebluhmintown.com.