Happy Thanksgiving But I’m Not Cooking This Year.

I’m not cooking Thanksgiving dinner this year.

There I said it. I’m being a Thanksgiving Scrooge.

Why? Well we always have big dinners at our house. The last couple of Thanksgivings and Christmases have been here which I love, I really do. We always prepare a big meal. Everyone eats and goes home. I clean up the mess. Yay me. And I’m not just talking the dishes. Some do offer to help with those which is great. (like my mother-in-law who helps with everything) I’m talking about the plastic cups, plates, dropped food, empty drink bottles,  etc. strewn all over the house that nobody seems to see but me. HUGE messes that take hours to clean up because for some reason, some people can’t seem to find the trash can.

Several of our usual guests have asked me what I’m doing for Thanksgiving this year and when I said I’m not cooking a big meal this year because we have all been really sick and we just had two big parties back to back, they are like, “Oh. Ok. Never mind.” Without another word and a look of pure disgust.

Um, hello? How about THEY cook the dinner at their house this year? Or at the very least, bring the food here. Prepared or ready to go in the oven. Heck, I’d do pot luck if the others would actually bring something cooked and not some cheap-o nasty pre-prepared potato salad, a bag of chips or the ingredients for ME to cook it. Instead of expecting us to purchase and cook it all, how about someone else does it or helps do it? I’ve been really sick since October.  Really, really sick with a cold or something that I can’t seem to shake. I don’t feel good. I don’t want to do Thanksgiving all by myself. I want to be able to enjoy the day as much as everyone else. I want some money and energy left over for shopping the next day.

So, there, I said it. I’m being a Thanksgiving Scrooge this year. I am beyond thankful for the life God has given me. I am beyond thankful for my family and friends, especially those that DO help out. But I am also tired and sick and sick-and-tired of feeling used and expected to do it all. I’m out of energy and no one seems to even care!

P.S. Christmas WILL be pot luck if they wanna have it here. 🙂

Am I being super rude by not having the big meal they all expect?

How about you all? Are you cooking a big Thanksgiving Dinner this year? Did anyone offer to help out?

Image courtesy of David Castillo Dominici / FreeDigitalPhotos.net