Long ago, my husband worked as a bartender. Know which day was the busiest bar day of the year? The day before Thanksgiving.
I have speculated that people might need a night of drinking to prepare themselves for a day with their families. On the other hand, if you dread spending a day rehashing old issues, having children jumping up and down on you and watching Uncle Charlie do that one thing that just DRIVES YOU INSANE, enduring this with a hangover has got to be much, much worse.
The Big Guy is more charitable and says that the bars are full because everyone is back in their hometowns, meeting up with old friends.
My family gatherings are usually fairly painless unless there’s a political debate, and I look forward to getting all loved up by my family before going back into the cold world. If, however, you dread Thanksgiving, or you’d like to spice it up a bit, go on over to the Cabbages and Kings blog and try out her Tips to Really Liven Up Thanksgiving. If my family was a little more playful, I might try wearing novelty teeth to dinner.
After the holidays, please come back and tell me your oddest holiday tales!
Sounds like you have a reasonably upbeat holiday ahead of you– and I hope it turns out that way. Thanks much for the link. I would like to hear how the novelty teeth experiment works.
Thanks, Jenn! I can’t wait to hear which tip you try. Get pictures, if you can!