I didn’t think this one through

I do Thanksgiving, for reasons not to be discussed I started cooking Thanksgiving dinner years ago it has been our family tradition for years now. It starts with cleaning the house the week before (even with side projects) and leads up to the day of cooking. I get up early and start the prep for the big day and meal. I generally start with the turkey since it takes the longest then the rest of the fixings from there, you get the point.

At this point in the game things have become quite routine …stuffing, turkey, green beans, potatoes etc, I have it down to somewhat of a science. The problem comes when I add something new or change the schedule. This year I forgot to get the turkey out earlier in the week to defrost, so I was running warm water through it Thanksgiving morning and we had also told people to show up earlier this year but I didn’t plan on enough appetizers.

I did try to add a different appetizer one year (stuffed mushrooms) but that took more time than I had so I dropped them in subsequent years. But my point is that changing our routine or making a change and do something different (even minor) requires energy and prior planning. But routine and tradition fight against change, it’s easier to just stick with what we have always done. We know how it works, how it tastes, how it feels, AND how much easier it is.

As my family continues to grow I may have to give up the normal routine and try a few new things while keeping the core meal intact. It shouldn’t be too hard right? A little additional prior planning to keep up with the growing needs of my family sounds like a win win. Onward Christmas is waiting.