Am I Being a Turkey About Thanksgiving?

I have a lot to be thankful for. I'm thankful that I'm staying home for Thanksgiving so I can work on my NaNoWriMo novel. (Did I tell you that I have two publishers who have requested that I send my novel to them, based on the ten pages they saw? My heart's greatest desire is to get it finished and I've set aside November for that. No freelance work. Just my heart's work.)

Since I'm cooking Christmas dinner and entertaining my in-laws at Christmas, I figured on a low-key Thanksgiving with just us (that would be Paul, Lily and me -- no Thanksgiving spectacle). But guess what! My in-laws have invited all their relatives down to S.C. for Thanksgiving. I am being guilted into cooking for and entertaining them all. Our dining room won't even hold them all.

Here's how it started: First I get an e-mail from my MIL telling me that relatives are coming and inviting us to have dinner with them on the Friday night after Thanksgiving at their retirement community dining room. Translation: They're coming, we're having dinner for them Friday night, so now you need to invite us all for Thanksgiving dinner at your house.

But I don't.

So last night we get a call from in-laws that they're all coming and my dear sister-in-law (she really is dear -- don't get me wrong) has offered to cook the turkey at their house since, well, you know, nobody has invited them, but they aren't really set up for Thanksgiving dinner and wanted to know what our plans are.

So, the good daughter-in-law is driving 800 miles and then cooking a turkey. What is the bad daughter-in-law (that would be me, at least for this week) doing?

Nuttin'. Trying to live my own life on my own schedule. For once.

Except I can't do nothing. Lily and Paul said that they would cook Thanksgiving dinner and I could just help out a little (like do all the shopping, planning, supervision and clean up) so I could work on my novel.

Don't forget, I have building supplies in my house. We cannot walk. We have three people living here and that's about all that fits right now. There is a toilet in the den, along with lumber, other plumbing fixtures and who knows what else. And tile in the living room. Paul says he will get it all out by Thanksgiving. He's already killing himself working on the building all the time. He's not going to get these construction supplies out and installed by Thanksgiving, though it's possible he could put them in the yard. Or maybe set the toilet up on the front porch. Maybe I'll plant pansies in it for a festive touch.

For my dear sister-in-law (who really is dear), I'm going to have to step in, capitulate to my mother-in-law's manipulations to have everybody down for Thanksgiving but push me into doing the entertaining, and do the &*#$@&()@* dinner.

For my part, I'll see if I can work this unpleasant person into my novel. Except I don't want her in my novel because I'm not writing a murder mystery.

I really do cherish some of these family members and would love to see them. I just wish I had been consulted on when would be a good time to invite them to my house for a feast. And because of the manipulations and pressure, I'll be an angry hostess instead of a gracious one.

I may think of something yet. Am I being a turkey?

Comments

[Donna B.]

No, you're not being a turkey and I feel for you. I can't imagine having a family dinner with construction going on even if there weren't other considerations.

Or lack of consideration, because that's what it looks like from here.

[Anwyn]

Grrr. :(

[groovyoldlady]

May I recommend tv dinners?

Heh-heh-heh.

Just add cranberry sauce and buy a couple of pies at the bakery and you've got it made.

(and they'll NEVER ask you to hostess again!)

I have a feeling you wouldn't really do that, BUT it might be very satisfying to have your heroine do it vicariously!