Thanksgiving Day dinner at my house with family.
ON THE DAY after Thanksgiving I am thankful…
- …that I am not battling the mobs searching for bargains, even if my sister terms Black Friday shopping as “fun.” She regales me with tales of shoppers smashing shopping carts into hers and the rule she and her daughter follow: “We won’t fight anyone over anything; it’s not worth it.” I’ve figured out the real reason she shops today. It’s all about tradition and being with her daughter and not really about the bargains.
- …that my mom could spend another Thanksgiving with me, my family and other members of my extended family. She’s 79 and not in the best of health. Last evening my husband and I drove her up to the McStop in Lakeville where my uncle and cousin met us. My mom will spend several days with her Arkansas sisters, her brother and their spouses in Minneapolis. Family time is precious.
- …for the 60-degree temperatures Thanksgiving afternoon that prompted us to pull out the lawn chairs and sit on the patio, the sun warming our backs in a brisk wind.
- …that my second daughter made it home for Thanksgiving, her first trip back from eastern Wisconsin since May. She’s a Spanish medical interpreter and, with only one weekend a month free of on-call status, simply can’t come back to Minnesota as often as I’d like.
- …that my oldest daughter who lives in Minneapolis opted to sleep here on Thanksgiving, making me a particularly happy mom. I love having all three of my kids together with my husband and me for an evening and then all tucked into our beds, under the same roof, for a night.
- …that I am going to be a great aunt for the fifth time. My nephew made the announcement yesterday that he and his wife are expecting a baby in June.
I hope your Thanksgiving was as wonderful as mine.
HOW WERE YOU blessed this Thanksgiving?
© Copyright 2011 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
Our Black Friday shopping had a later start than normal. We didn’t leave home until 7:30. My daughter and I were not happy with the time change to midnight, took the fun out of it. We did find plenty of deals and some not so great. Herbergers has a $10.00 free coupon, only problem you can hardly use it for anything. They will not be our first choice of stores next year. For us NO guns, pepper spray or fighting. We made sure we smiled, and thanked each person who helped us, after all my mom taught me manners and I taught my daughter. So pass it on. Be nice!!
I was waiting for your shopping report. You sound like the ideal shoppers. I don’t know if I could be so smiley. Of course then, you know how much I don’t like shopping.