This is a most special time of year. There’s a chill in the air. The scents of cinnamon, nutmeg, and peppermint waft passed us as we walk through the shops. There is a warmth and friendliness that says Thanksgiving. The anticipation of hot turkey with gravy, cranberries, stuffing and all the trimmings is almost unbearable.

Would you believe that Hawaii has wild turkeys running around all over the place? You see them in the neighborhoods, hiking up in the hills and just walking down the road. I have no idea if you are allowed to hunt them and this is not what I mean by “Preparing for Thanksgiving.”  That is WAY to much Preparing work for me!!!!  I like buying an organic turkey at the market all PREPARED for me.  As in, no removing feathers or killing required.

As you may recall I am not a fan of watching sports. I would rather go out and play the sport. But there are three days out of the year where I will make an exception. These days are Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.  These are days to relax in front of the big screen t.v. peacefully reclined in a food coma.

Each holiday is special in it’s own unique rite.  Thanksgiving is always the obligatory turkey/triptophan food coma (uuuuuuhhhhhhh) while watching parades. Christmas will vary with the family.  Some years we eat at home. If we are at home our family is usually eating all day. Other years we serve the homeless people while working the food lines at the local place of worship.   Still others we have eaten out so everyone gets a break.  New Year’s is whatever my wife feels like doing.  Since we do not follow sports we can’t tell you which games are on or when. If I recall correctly, from my youth when my dad would watch sports, Thanksgiving is traditionally college bowl football games.  New Years I think there are college football games as well.  Christmas, I have no idea.  Like I said we really don’t follow that stuff.  There is too much of my life to live. This is a feature my wife loves about me. The fact that I don’t follow sports.

The day after Thanksgiving every crazy shopper will be out first thing in the morning to get the best deals. Now that is something I have little interest in, but I do love a good crowd. A bunch of crazy hens fighting over the last pair of shoes, cabbage patch doll, or Dr. Zeus’ flying crib (I made up that last one) really is entertaining, but alas I would rather be home in front of the fireplace enjoying the day.  On the other hand, come New Year’s eve, I will definitely be out celebrating the passing of the old and welcoming in the new year. Then, I shall sleep until 11am, get up, watch football, and snack until bed. There are certain rituals that I do enjoy. Rituals around food are big in my book of life.

Oops.  I was just informed by my wife that she is thinking about having people over to our place for New Year’s Eve and we can watch the fireworks from our lanai.  That will be nice (although I am still thinking about how much I enjoy the energy of a BIG crowd.  We will see).

So, as you are sitting down and watching sports, eating, sharing the day with family, or whatever your rituals are, remember if you eat a little too much it’s okay. Don’t diet. Simply eat a little more servings of fruits and vegetables each day for the rest of the year.  Relax, loosen your belt a notch, and enjoy your life. It is only a few days out of the year we gorge ourselves and you can always cleanse off the extra pounds.

James Christopher

ThruJimsEyes.com