Thanksgiving

Only eight people around the table this year, and while those not with us this year were missed, it was nice to actually sit around one table for a change. We also broke from tradition and had a beef tenderloin instead of turkey, but still managed to fill the table with all of our other favorites: mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, and green bean casserole that seem to be universal, but also family traditions like ambrosia and canned cranberry jelly.

After breaking the corkscrew on the first bottle of sparkling juice, no one got to enjoy the bottle of merlot that Dad brought, and Kevin's attempt to uncork it with a power drill and bit only resulted in wine infused with tiny cork particles. We considered straining it through a coffee filter and serving it with no one being the wiser but got impatient and "spilled" the merlot down the kitchen sink.

We took the opportunity on Friday to set up some Christmas decorations, including our tree. I also did a little Black Friday shopping with Mom, both putting me in more of a holiday mood.