My family is crazy! Hey, I’m a realist and I’m perfectly fine with admitting that! Take for instance my mother-in-law. She called my husband up just a few days ago to candidly announce that Thanksgiving at her house had been canceled!

Now, how can you cancel Thanksgiving when you are the matriarch of the family and have hosted the the festivities for the last eight years, and that’s just since I have been a part of your family is truly beyond me- but she did it. And to be real honest with you, I’m not upset with her.

You see, my M.I.L. is just sick and tired of the drama. The same drama that every family goes through; this one is mad at this one for something that they said and that one doesn’t like that one because of what they did….DRAMA! I honestly feel bad that I will not be able to enjoy my M.I.L.’s fantastic meal but everything happens for a reason and perhaps it’s time for me and mine to start our own little tradition of a Thanksgiving meal prepared at our home. It’s just not going to be the same without the “live” entertainment.

This incident is so different from how Thanksgiving used to be in my house growing up. Yeah, there was drama year ‘round but on Turkey Day, all knives and bad attitudes (most anyway) were dropped to celebrate this very special time of the year. If there was drama on it was a very different kind of drama. It was more comical, like the dueling cousins who fought over who’s mac’n’cheese tasted better or who’s sweet potato pie was the best. I miss those days. I remember, for my own family, Thanksgiving being a time of year that brought all of the siblings together. We would literally laugh until we cried and then laugh some more! I can’t tell you how many wonderful memories of Thanksgivings past that I cherish to this very day. Those are the times that you cherish and for that reason I really believe that M.I.L canceling this year was a blessing in disguise. Besides, it’s been a long time since I’ve challenged myself in the kitchen and I know that my son will be jumping at the chance to cook alongside me (he’s actually a fantastic baker).

I think that we’ll be ok just kicking back at home this year and enjoying each others company without wondering when we’re going home or whether or not it’s polite to get seconds or thirds of our favorite dish! Maybe I can even convince my M.I.L to come over and celebrate with us this year! God knows she deserves to sit down and be waited on hand and foot.

What about you? Do you have a Thanksgiving Day tradition that you cherish? What about a funny or crazy Turkey Day story?

Happy Thanksgiving all- Gobble, gobble!