Cartoon of a husband and a wife with a musket. The wife says, “We’re having a traditional Thanksgiving. Here’s a musket. The turkey is in the backyard.”
It’s the holiday season in the United States and all the expectations for a perfect holiday begin tomorrow when we all gather for a feast. Unfortunately, some of those hopes will be dashed before someone says, “Pass the cranberries.”
My mom was a nurse, which meant she had to work many holidays. One of the benefits of that was while we had holiday traditions, they were flexible. We didn’t have to do the same thing every year. We could move things around our calendar, or even save an event until the next year.
That came in handy for me as a became an adult. One Thanksgiving, my poor wife had the flu. We dutifully shipped our son to the grandparents while I tended to my ill spouse. It was one unconventional Thanksgiving. She didn’t want to eat anything and I searched for a restaurant that was open.
As you begin this festive time of year, I would encourage you to be flexible. Go with the flow. Kids and spouses get sick. Relatives will probably never act the way you’d expect. Travel will always have some headaches. When it’s all over, it may be the unconventional memories you will cherish anyway.