Thanksgiving, one of my favorite holidays, is officially over, and now it's back to work again after having four days off the day job. Mark and I had an optimal mix of alone/unscheduled time, and time spent with family. Some of my favorite things about the Thanksgiving holiday?
1. LEFTOVERS! We didn't host either of our family events, but nonetheless we came home from both celebrations with a bounty of leftovers. Most of the turkey has already hit the freezer, awaiting our next homemade turkey pot pie extravaganza. We make awesome pot pies. ;-)
2. FAMILY TIME. I feel fortunate that my family and Mark's family all live in Minnesota. Mom came south, so bothy events took less than two hours to drive to. It's nice to catch up on what's happening with family members, to show off vacation pictures, and to solidify plans for Christmas.
3. TV/MOVIE MARATHONS! I'm a total TV junkie, so no low-key vacation day is complete without some time spent in front of the flat-screen. I watched "The Hunger Games," half of "The Big Bang Theory" Season 5, some of the James Bond marathon on SyFy, and some episodes of "Tattoo Nightmares" and "Ink Master" on Spike, reigniting my tattoo hunger something fierce. Discovery Channel's "Gold Rush" murmured in the background as Mark and I made pumpkin pie. Isn't teenage miner Parker Schnabel completely adorable? And who can pass up "Too Cute" on Animal Planet? You can never have too many puppies and kittens.
4. READING! I knocked off six books in four days, including our own Grace Burrowes' utterly divine "Lady Maggie's Secret Scandal," my friend Darynda Jones' "Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet," and four of the six Harlequin Blaze category romances that were shipped to me a couple of months ago as part of my monthly subscription. My TBR is still completely out of hand, but isn't that a really nice problem to have?
5. COUCH TIME! Whether it's watching TV, reading, snuggling with the cats, or taking an afternoon nap in the sunshine, the couch is one of my favorite places in the world. I spent so much time there over the holiday weekend that I suspect my ass expanded.
Oh, and I worked on an Underbelly Chronicles novella being published by Sourcebooks next spring. ;-)
Notice that Black Friday shopping is nowhere on this list. Believe me, this girl loves her some retail therapy, but NO ONE can pay me enough money to set foot anywhere near the Mall of America between Thanksgiving and, oh, maybe the second week of January 2013. I have no patience for playing Parking Lot Rodeo, and the very word "doorbusters" gives me the wiggins.
That said, I DID shop. The Amazon Fairy delivered a new pair of black boots right to my doorstep, which totally counts.
What do YOU enjoy about Thanksgiving? If you shopped on Black Friday, tell us about your adventures, and your screaming deals!
Award-winning author Tamara Hogan loathes cold and snow, but
nonetheless lives near Minneapolis with her partner Mark and two naughty
cats. When she’s not telecommuting to Silicon Valley, she enjoys
writing edgy urban fantasy romance with a sci-fi twist. A feral reader
with an unapologetic television addiction, Tammy is forever on the
lookout for the perfect black boots.
1. LEFTOVERS! We didn't host either of our family events, but nonetheless we came home from both celebrations with a bounty of leftovers. Most of the turkey has already hit the freezer, awaiting our next homemade turkey pot pie extravaganza. We make awesome pot pies. ;-)
2. FAMILY TIME. I feel fortunate that my family and Mark's family all live in Minnesota. Mom came south, so bothy events took less than two hours to drive to. It's nice to catch up on what's happening with family members, to show off vacation pictures, and to solidify plans for Christmas.
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| Courtesy Discovery Channel |
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| AWESOME! |
5. COUCH TIME! Whether it's watching TV, reading, snuggling with the cats, or taking an afternoon nap in the sunshine, the couch is one of my favorite places in the world. I spent so much time there over the holiday weekend that I suspect my ass expanded.
Oh, and I worked on an Underbelly Chronicles novella being published by Sourcebooks next spring. ;-)
Notice that Black Friday shopping is nowhere on this list. Believe me, this girl loves her some retail therapy, but NO ONE can pay me enough money to set foot anywhere near the Mall of America between Thanksgiving and, oh, maybe the second week of January 2013. I have no patience for playing Parking Lot Rodeo, and the very word "doorbusters" gives me the wiggins.
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| MoA shoppers keeping it klassy... (AP Photo/Mark Vancleave) |
That said, I DID shop. The Amazon Fairy delivered a new pair of black boots right to my doorstep, which totally counts.
What do YOU enjoy about Thanksgiving? If you shopped on Black Friday, tell us about your adventures, and your screaming deals!
I'm with you, Tamara. No Black Friday shopping here. I did go see the new James Bond movie though. It was one of the best I've seen.
ReplyDeleteNo Black Friday shopping here. The $138 dollars in the back of my purse is intact. That's what I keep in case I get into trouble and need bail-out money. The kids said what's good for the kid is good for the mother. If I go to jail for fighting, I'll have to put in my time. And there's just something about rude people that could cause a problem. Besides after cooking all day Tuesday and Wednesday, then having the kids all here on Thursday (which is my favorite part of Thanksgiving) I flat out didn't have the energy to do anything but lay up on the couch and read!
ReplyDeleteI just like being with family. It's usually me and the 3-year-old all day. It's nice to have some adults to talk to.
ReplyDeleteVictoria, SKYFALL is definitely on my must-see list as well...though I'll wait until it comes out on Netflix. ;-)
ReplyDeleteCarolyn, $138 is such a specific amount; there HAS to be a story there! Though I didn't do any Black Friday shopping, I must admit I'm kinda tearing it up here on Cyber Monday.
ReplyDeleteShana, I have cats, not kids, but... somehow I know JUST what you mean!
ReplyDeleteWe don't celebrate our Thanksgiving in Novemeber in Canada. We have ours in October. And as I do not work, I was able to enjoy your holiday by watching the Macey's Parade and watching some of the football games being played. As for Black Friday shopping, I don't care where it is or was, you would not catch me out in those crowds for anything. I liek to get in and get out with my purchases, and not take my life in my hands for a few dollars off something. Nothing and I mean nothing is worth that.. Oh wait I will amend that, if it was Books, well that is just a different story.. But more power to those of you who do the whole Black Friday thing.
ReplyDeleteNo Black Friday shopping for me either! Great post and I agree with your Top 5!
ReplyDeleteKathleen, isn't the Macy's Parade awesome? I agree with you on Black Friday - no purchase is worth the aggravation, much less the possibility of injury.
ReplyDeleteHi Sara - the long Thanksgiving weekend pretty much combined all my favorite things into a four day time span. ;-)
ReplyDeleteWe saw Wreck it Ralph and Rise of the Guardians over the Thanksgiving holiday. Can you tell I'm not the one who picks the movies?
ReplyDeleteAs for Black Friday, I did it once. NEVER AGAIN!