I am looking forward to celebrating Thanksgiving. This year, we are thankful that our entire family will be together. I know that it is a holiday that basically gives us a moment to appreciate everything that we have in our lives. Somehow, for most of us, Thanksgiving mostly consists of one day of far too much cooking and preparation. All of these traditional dishes encourage us to consume so much food that survival means laying on the couch with our pants unzipped. Eventually one, two, or let’s just say all of us get so sleepy we end up taking a food overdose nap. Of course, none of us would ever admit it, especially when the snoring begins. We have tried every year to keep from ending up exposed on the couch and sought out for the loudest snore. Unfortunately, we can’t seem to change our gluttonous tradition.

I discussed with my kids how we could keep it simpler with less food and not packing on those extra pounds until Christmas dinner. Every dish that I mentioned eliminating was followed by a moan and a voice from the great beyond saying, “not the cranberries”, etc., etc. So, I was right back to square one. I wondered what would happen if I just limited the amount of dishes that I served and just not say anything. Imagine their surprise. But then, a vision of the next day’s leftover turkey sandwiches danced in my head. And a dread came over me when I remembered that without the dressing under those soft dinner rolls and on top of that turkey what would Thanksgiving be? And the traditional next day mashed potatoes with heated up gravy sang to me like birds in springtime. Oh, and cranberries, a family favorite for, I would say probably generations.

So, needless to say, our Thanksgiving will be the same as every year. But, I am determined to try again before Christmas. But wait, how can we have Christmas without prime rib, Santa probably wouldn’t even bring us gifts!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!

Tina Jensen is a member and one of the coordinators of activities for the Escalon Senior Fun Bunch. She contributes a monthly column for The Times.