Around this time of year, I swoon over the idea of Thanksgiving. Give me the opportunity, and I’ll tell you why I truly think it’s the greatest holiday (there’s no stress of gifts and the sole purpose of the holiday is to eat and be happy with what you have). I yearn for the food–the turkey and mashed potatoes covered in gravy, the corn, the rolls, the cranberry sauce. Often is the case that I wake up early, excited for the holiday to begin. This no longer happens to me for Christmas. I truly love Thanksgiving.

This year, I got to celebrate it like never before. I got to celebrate it twice in one day. This was the first year I’d had a girlfriend for the sacred holiday and I was invited to her parents’ house for their dinner. Since it was nearby where my family was feasting, I was happy to make appearances at both. I know others who don’t have that luxury and must choose each year where they’ll go. I pity those poor fools.

For my family’s Thanksgiving, I brought a couple of pans of my grandmother’s recipe for corn casserole. It’s deathly when you know what and how much goes into it. But it tastes good and it’s really easy to put together so that’s all that matters, really. Here’s a precooked and post-cooked shot of it.

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It turned out well, though I had more left over than I knew what to do with, so I sent Ellie back to school with it.

In the end, it was interesting to see how Ellie’s and my family celebrate the holiday differently. Her family celebrates with friends as well as family. My family sticks to family and incorporates more alcohol into the day. Both were fun and interesting in their own way. Additionally, my family celebrates a second time because my dad gets a turkey from work every year and it needs to be eaten. I don’t complain.

Ellie and I both ended up eating more than either of us bargained for, but since we both enjoy a healthy meal, we really didn’t complain. The only thing I didn’t do this year which I usually do was pass out while attempting to watch It’s a Wonderful Life. I’ll have to watch it in a week or two because it is tradition for me.

I also skipped out on Black Friday because, well, it’s no longer Black Friday. It’s dumb. It’s not sporting. It’s over-consumption for over-consumption’s sake. It started at 8pm in places and continued well on into the next day. Ellie and I, in a fit of madness, thought it’d be a good idea to go to Kohls to browse around midday on Friday and the line snaked around the store. Also, the deals were supposed to end at 1pm, but while we were there, they announced they’d be extending the deals an additional two hours. It was probably because the racks were still filled with all the items they thought would go faster than they ended up.

It may only be a few days past, but I’m eagerly awaiting next year’s Thanksgiving.