A vintage map table cloth seemed fitting for the occasion. Stacey and I found it thrifting for only $3! I'm glad she talked me into it.

By Fiona

After three different sets of plans fell through, somehow Thanksgiving dinner ended up at our house again. Holidays have been know to bring out the worst in my husband and I, with me having unrealistic expectations and him wanting to leave town during the preparations, me becoming a demanding task master and him becoming a five year old. Also, some who have known me for a long time wouldn't necessarily vote me Miss "grace under pressure" but I've done a lot of  work on that and with the exception of not being able to go back to sleep when my eyes popped open at 4 AM, I didn't have any stress at all. I even took a nap after the bird got into the oven. There were lots of components to that; getting anything that could be done early, done early, asking for lots of help (every guest happily and generously baked, cooked, crafted and shopped), having my husband really make an effort to stay in a good head space about the whole thing and last but not least, being able to let go of the outcome. People tend to appreciate the effort you make even if it doesn't turn out magazine perfect.

Origami lotus flowers (thanks Vanessa) for place cards.It was the morning after when I let my insecurities get the best of me, sorry that the turkey was a bit overdone, worried that my in-laws did and bought too much, regretful that I burned most of the back up stuffing by leaving it in the oven during dinner, wondering if everyone enjoyed the food, but then... thankful that the table looked pretty, that there was a fire burning, that the boys were howling with joy, that there was incredible pie and, (one of my cooking successes) perfect meringues. There was also the memory of that yummy smoked duck that Dan cooked, brie stuffed mushroom caps, Port wine after dinner and everyone full and happy to stay seated at the table long after dinner to have the conversations that familiarity and holiday gatherings bring. 

There were only a few of these left at the end of the night.I asked everyone to jot down a small gratitude before dinner that we could read aloud and try to guess its author. Some were funny and some were sweet. Mine was "elasticity of the heart". Almost everyone around our table had hurt me or been hurt by me at some point along the way but the heart recovers and expands and for that I am truly thankful.

When our guests left with leftovers in hand and we had everything perishable safely stowed in the fridge, I put my arms around Dan and said, "That went well, we didn't even argue!", then we headed over to Stacey's to enjoy the evening playing games, eating more pie, drinking cocktails, listening to music and making time for each other on an otherwise crazy day. Another happy ending.

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