The one thing I can say about living 2400 miles from my closest family is that there is no need to tolerate the holiday season with them.  Not that I don't like the holidays.  I just don't like their kinds of celebrations for the holidays.  I like doing my own thing, always have, always will.

So I have an opportunity to spend the holidays the way I prefer - alone or nearly alone.  Most definitely enjoying the quiet and reflecting on the reasons for the holiday rather than the consumeristic approach to the holiday.  Away from the gluttony and over indulgence in extravagant gifting, I can relax and do things that I enjoy.  Make my own traditions.  

That was my hope.  Thanksgiving was, well ... different.  It was not the big family get together, but it was just different.  A fellow veteran invited me to her home for the holiday.  Everything was cooked beforehand - over the 2-3 days before.  That meant that all it needed was to be warmed and eaten.  As soon as her other friends showed up and she realized they were coming for the meal instead of returning to their place, everything that needed warmed was being warmed and the spread was laid out.  

It was an overload for my eyes and I did what I usually do when I see so much - shut down the appetite.  I did that the day before when Green Doors delivered a full Turkey dinner from H-E-B to the house.  The refrigerator couldn't hold another item.  I barely ate dinner the night before and here I was looking at two tables filled with very delicious looking food.  

"Oh it's a bird plate!"  I only selected what I knew I could eat for one of my normal meals and no more.  A little of the roast turkey, some green bean casserole and mashed potatoes with butter, a dinner roll, and a small cob of corn.  A pecan pie was there for dessert, but I was comfortably full and did not want to put any more in.  

We watched the Macy's parade, then the guys turned to football.  Most of my family never really watched football, except for the Finns.  Then the women sat in the kitchen and chatted and the men were at the other end of the house.  It was rarely loud enough to carry to the kitchen.  So here I was with two guys and two gals watching football.  It was planned that us gals would go to another room for some quieter time.

After awhile I went to the other room and worked on the project I brought to kill time with (as it was recommended that I bring something).  But the noise followed me and I heard everything from the other room.  It was not my choice of holiday pasttimes, but it was with friends.  The gals took a plate over to a neighbor and visited for awhile.  I was alone in the back room for nearly 2 hours, then decided I needed to go home where it was quiet.  I appreciate my friends' generosity.  

I think I will spend Christmas at the house.  I want some quiet me time to reflect and do things that I love.