NOTICE: Postings in this journal are intended for adults as they may contain adult situations and language.

It’s getting closer to turkey day for those of us in the U.S.A. and once again, I am dreading it.

Once again I will sit in a crowded dining area, with family members I rarely see and strangers I’ve never met to eat a dinner that has long gone cold and tasteless. I will witness an attempt at a Norman Rockwell event go wrong when gravy is spilled on the 100-year-old tablecloth that’s been handed down from generation to generation. I will pretend this is the best get-together I’ve ever been to while I long for the years of my childhood. A time in my life when family members weren’t facing sickness or death and everyone was happy. A time in my life when my Nana and Mom were still with me. A time in my life when both the company and the food were the best I’d ever experienced.

One day last week, I realized that during my lifetime I will probably experience around forty Thanksgiving dinners. The rest I won’t be able to remember or can’t attend for any number of reasons. And this is the way I am spending them. Grumble.

If you want your kids and grandkids to fondly remember the national day of thanks, keep a few things in mind, will ya’?

1. Don’t invite 65 people to your home and expect all of them to sit in the same room together, eat the meal in unison and all get up at the same time to go home.

2. Don’t use your best linen if you value it more than the feelings of your loved ones.

3. Don’t make your guests feel bad if they don’t try every single one of the 35 dishes you have prepared.

4. Some people are vegetarians, get over it and expect them NOT to try the turkey, no matter how delicious it is. They won’t “convert” so back off.

5. Don’t keep changing the meal time to accommodate all your guests. You’re just kidding yourself if you try and frustrating everyone involved in YOUR day.

Ahhh, I feel better.




Be sure and look for my stories in the following anthologies:

THE HOLLER – The Fear Within – 3F Publications

THE FEAR – Femmes de la Brume – Double Dragon Publishing

CHICKEN – Scary! Holiday Tales to Make You Scream –
Double Dragon Publishing

All titles can be found and purchased at www.shocklines.com

www.elizabethpeake.com