Vickie Fee

In a pickle for the holidays

It hit me over the weekend that it’s the middle of November!

Many of you who run your life by a fancy planner, or you know, look at the calendar every day, may have already been aware of this fact. But what does this actually mean?

Image: Pixabay

It is only six weeks until Christmas. Realizing I’m already behind on the season, and having been bombarded with political ads nonstop for the past three months, I am now into heavy rotation on holiday tunes. Don’t judge. I’m NOT one of those “no Christmas music until after Thanksgiving” people. My house, my rules. You do you.

Most of us are already behind on shopping. If you haven’t been socking away gifts a little along all year, I have good news. It’s only eleven days until black Friday. I have even better news. Many stores are starting their sales this coming weekend. Example: Big Lots has holiday decorations discounted 25-30 percent starting Saturday, Nov. 19. 

Image: Pixabay

It is less than two weeks until Thanksgiving. If you have guests coming for Thanksgiving, buy your sales price decorations, spend your weekend cleaning out the dust bunnies, and put your Turkey in the fridge to thaw on Monday.

If defrosting giblets and cooking for a crowd gives you a headache, I have more good news. I read an article this weekend that asserts if you have a small group for Thanksgiving dinner (four or less) it may actually be cheaper for you to eat your Turkey Day meal at a restaurant, the high cost of groceries being what it is. You’re welcome. Make your reservations now.

Image: Pixabay

If you are in the trenches for NanoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), you’re halfway through! Buy yourself a gift. Eat some cookies. Brag about your word count in the comments. If Thanksgiving sneaked up on you, you’re probably unaware that today is National Pickle Day! No worries. There’s still time to eat a pickle, run to the store and buy some pickles, or make a dish featuring pickles, like tuna salad. I favor sweet gherkins. But it you prefer bread-and-butter or dill — you do you. 

Where do you stand currently on being ready for the Thanksgiving? for Christmas? Share in the comments.

36 thoughts on “In a pickle for the holidays”

  1. Ha! Ready for the holidays? Surely you jest. Me, I am dumb enough to run a book launch in November, with my latest book, Sister!, coming out on Dec 5 ( see how cleverly I inserted a shameless plug here?) I do have two $29 cent a pound turkeys in the freezer, so I guess I’ll cook one of them for Thanksgiving, but that’s as far as I’ve gotten. As for Christmas, I guess I’ll have time to pay it some attention after the book launch. The blog tour doesn’t start until January…

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  2. Baby steps for me, Vickie! I just took down our red, white and blue bunting post-Election and Veteran Days. And this morning I’m back at my desk after a whirlwind Crime Bake weekend. We’re going for a very laid-back Turkey Day this year (buy your turkeys early, folks–the news that there may be a shortage in some places this year sort of paralyzed me). My family is all coming for Christmas this year, which is super exciting–but we have a tradition of not thinking about Xmas until after Thanksgiving, and we’re stickin’ to it. As for the sales–they now stress me out so much I literally do the ostrich thing. It’s (almost) worth missing out on a deal to Stay Far Far Away, lol. And oh yes, NaNo–due to work stuff, I am starting on or around the 15th. Just hanging on my by talons here!

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    2. I’ve always loved bunting, Lisa! Soon you can replace the bunting with garland and lights. And I assume after Thanksgiving you’ll get to work on your Christmas village! Fa-la-la-la-NaNo!!

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  3. I’m gobsmacked at the date, Vickie. Just the other day, I was talking to my family, and it’s like, “What are we doing for Thanksgiving again?” (Conclusion: I got volunteered to host. So I better get ready!)

    This time of the year always runs away from me. I’m hoping, though, to really focus on appreciation and valuing time with family (as opposed to, say, stressing out).

    I’m also trying to do the half NaNo. Honestly, I haven’t double-checked my word count, but it’s probably off. But I do appreciate writing in community right now, and I’m doing the wonderful write-ins and such with Sisters in Crime: https://www.sistersincrime.org/page/NaNoWriMo22

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    1. Great idea, Leslie! Our extended family has come to lean heavily on Amazon Wish Lists. If there’s a book on their list, that’s what they get from me.

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    3. Absolutely, Leslie! My DIL owns a toy store so it’s always books for the kids. And I don’t need the excuse of a holiday to buy!

      Hubs and I don’t feel the need for gifts anymore … if we want/need something, we get it. And we hardly want/need anything anymore. And I really hate when my kids give me presents. There are a bazillion better things they could do with their money! I’m a terrible consumer, I know.

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  5. Jen, how lovely that you’re hosting family for Thanksgiving! We’ve cooked a duck instead of turkey the past couple of years (just the two of us, so we don’t need a huge bird). I love duck. Hubs probably prefers turkey. But we roast the duck on top of a pile of cut-up potatoes, and my husband loves the way the potatoes taste cooked in duck fat! Plus, he’ll get his turkey fix at Christmas.

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  6. For both holidays, I drive north to spend them with family. I’m mixing Christmas music in with my regular music these days. And I’ve started decorating for Christmas. And I’m further ahead on gifts than usual this year, too. Which is a good thing because November 30th is fiscal year end at work, and it makes for a crazy, crazy busy time at work. I don’t have time to breath much for the next month outside of holiday time out of town.

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  7. We get a small Butterball Young Turkey, about 13 pounds for just the two of us. I love turkey and the works. We will probably do a ham Christmas. We did that last year because we have turkey left over from Christmas. I have started buying a few things for Christmas as I have to mail a lot. I usually have more bought by this time. I need to start wrapping and try to mail before Thanksgiving. Then Christmas decorating will start. We used to meet friends in New Orleans for Thanksgiving and eat at a different restaurant there each Thanksgiving. Good food, good friends and good city! But it was always way too busy with a football game and parade, so we started going in October to NOLA.

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      1. Yes, it is! NOLA is the best. We always stay at the St. Charles Inn as they take dogs, and we can ride the streetcar right across the street. Covid curtailed our annual trips. Hopefully we can start again. It is a 7-hour drive for us and about 8 for our friends in San Antonio; halfway between us basically. And you got that right, summer is too hot. In the 1970s we went every Memorial Day weekend for 5 or so years. What started with just us blew up into 6 couples. Ah youth! Then we had not been for years and started that new tradition. We also went in March one year which was a good time to go also.

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  12. I’m off the hook for Thanksgiving! Adult offspring will prepare a soy “turkey” and there’ll be lots of butter and cream to offset the loss of gravy. Not to mention pie, pie, and pie.

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