This year, my family stole a tradition from some friends of ours. Every year, the evening before Thanksgiving they eat cabbage soup, and spend the evening together in candlelight (ie, no lights). Then, the next morning, oatmeal is all they get for breakfast. The idea is that it will make them all very thankful for Thanksgiving.
We decided to do something similar. We actually started Wednesday morning, and spent the entire day without electricity. (OK, our furnace, freezer, fridge, well pump, etc. all take electricity, but we did our best. I even unscrewed the light bulb in the fridge) We prepared plain oatmeal for breakfast, and boiled cabbage for lunch and dinner. Not cabbage soup, just boiled cabbage.
The evening was the hardest, because my family has a bad habit of falling asleep to the television. With no electricity, it was a rough night, especially for the girls. We ended up singing some songs, and livingroom-camping together in the candlelight. It was pretty great.
The next morning, the girls were THRILLED when we cooked them a big breakfast. All day they’ve talked about “no electricity day” to whomever will listen. It’s been a great holiday!
Happy Thanksgiving to all my American readers, and happy Thursday to everyone else!
About 7 years ago, my family was in a very rough spot due to a car accident that turned our lives upside down. We were forced to go on welfare, my pregnant wife was forced to take a job bussing tables at a local restaurant, and we were the recipients of holiday food baskets, etc. It was a humbling time, but actually was a turning point in our lives. I think if it weren’t for that experience, we’d never have the 