A Necessary Holiday Tradition: Reservations

If my kids were disappointed that I didn't cook our Thanksgiving dinner, they didn't show it. Since I'm in the television news business, there aren't too many holidays in which I'm not working. Our holiday tradition seems to be no tradition.

There have been Thanksgivings in which I've worked the early morning shift and then rushed home to cook the entire feast. There have also been times in which we've gone out to eat or joined friends at their homes.

This year, I worked Thanksgiving morning and then stopped to pick up our turkey feast at Whole Foods. I had reserved the meal just days before. I was hardly alone. The place was packed with shoppers and other people picking up entire meals, too. I immediately felt less guilt about not cooking. And the meal was fantastic. So, let's see:

1) Cost was comparable to buying all the ingredients.
2) Very little work after work!
3) Turkey, fixings and all dishes were delicious and beautifully prepared.
4) Less clean up.
5) More time together.

Dang, maybe Thanksgiving meal pickup should become our tradition!

We have moved on to holiday decorating. Now, this is a tradition that my daughter always cherishes. For decades, I've been collecting Christmas ornaments from all over the world. We always enjoy taking each one out and recalling people and places. I won't have to work Christmas Day since it falls on a Saturday this year. But I have made no plans for our Christmas dinner. The family time will always be more important than the food.

When Nancy Loo isn't picking up prepared meals or making reservations, she works as a Reporter/Fill-in Anchor at WGN-TV in Chicago. She writes regularly about her adventures in television and parenting at her personal blog, Big Tiny World.