Thanksgiving again!

My family is spread out around the US.  My sister is in Boston, I have brothers in Kentucky, Wisconsin and Chicago and a step mother in Florida.  And to add to this, during most holidays I'm just a little tired from refereeing basketball holiday tournaments and not really eager to travel to visit.  So, the end result is that I find myself staying home during Thanksgiving. 
Now I'm not looking for sympathy at all.  There's something refreshing about the phone not ringing or not having something planned for a day.  There aren't many days during the year when I truly have nothing on my calendar. 
I love Thanksgiving.  I love turkey and stuffing and pumpkin pie and all the good stuff that goes with it.  And I love sitting around the table with my family and catching up.  But, this doesn't happen every year, or even most years for this holiday.  We tend to all get together at Christmas, and maybe that's enough.
So, most years I find myself getting offers to join other families for their holiday.  It's awkward to be in other people's celebrations.  They have their own stories and traditions and somehow I feel like I'm intruding on their plans. 
But it is fun to see how other people celebrate.  Some just drink until they are just out of it.  I have to laugh because they could serve McDonald's hamburgers and I'm not sure anyone would notice.  Some take the food very seriously.  "Grandma's recipe for stuffing"  or whatever special addition to the mix.
Don't get me wrong, I have had some wonderful dinners with wonderful people over the years on Thanksgiving.  But I have been a spectator at some disasters as well.
My dad used to take Thanksgiving very seriously.  Cooking the turkey was an event in our house.  He tried everything, everyone's recipe, everyone's basting techniques over the years.  I think he finally found true peace when he got a recipe to cook the turkey on his Weber Grill.  He marvelled at how good it tasted and how juicy it was.  Personally, I couldn't tell the difference.  But Dad was happy!
So tomorrow is another holiday.  I don't have any plans right now, but you never know what will happen.  In the meantime, I hope everyone has a wonderful day and has the opportunity to do whatever they love to do for their celebration!  Oh, and if you happen to have some extra leftovers....I love turkey sandwiches and leftover stuffing most of all!!