Turkey Training Camp in San Francisco

Trimming Thanksgiving Budgets, Eliminating Angst, Anywhere You Are

Oct 21, 2008 Jacqueline Church

In light of the big goose egg we've been handed by Washington and Wall St, Thanksgiving this year is likely to be low-cost and downscaled. It doesn't have be a downer.

Make Thanksgiving a time to remember the important things we have to celebrate. When financial moguls celebrate the bail-out at the St Regis with thousands and thousands of dollars in spa treatments, while our retirement funds evaporate, we have to dig a little deeper to find that happy place.

The turkey metaphors abound.

Talkin' Turkey, Straight Talk, not just the Name of a Campaign Bus.

It is something we haven't had enough of. Here's straight talk about the holidays.

Spending more on stuff we don't need is only going to make matters worse. It's a large part of how we got here in the first place. It's not about stuff anyway. Gather friends and family who will be nice. This is not a time for opening old wounds. The Orphans' Refugee's Procrastinators' Tradition always brings good people together and makes or solidifies new friendships.

Volunteering together to take meals to people who are elderly or alone or helping out in a shelter is a fantastic way to reconnect with the joy of serving others. Alternatively,many communities have pies that can be purchased to support meal deliveries to home-bound people like Community Servings here in Boston. Doing for others often fills the space in the heart that can get cluttered with self-absorption.

Flying Low to the Ground - Homemade is both Budget-conscious and Beloved

Make it easy. Scale down. Make something simple and homemade, like biscuits. Hot biscuits from the oven make everyone happy and cost next to nothing to make. Email me for the best recipe ever.

Pies are easy to make ahead and less expensive than store bought.

Travel costs are greater this year, it's another reason to stay close to home.

Have the kids make place cards for guests or a welcome sign for the door.

Don't let the turkeys get you down; Build your own Thanksgiving Family.

Make a turkey and one side. Have friends each bring a dish to share. It's amazing the relief many people feel at a table of friends. No old family grudges, no complaints about jobs, dates, hair, weight. Holidays can bring about the worst behavior in many families. Friends gathering consciously to celebrate and give thanks together are not likely to pick fights. It's really a joy to see people realize they can relax and enjoy the day without the stress they often feel at family tables.

If you've got some nervous or new cooks in your circle of friends, get together to make some dishes before hand. Teach each other and learn together. Many stores and adult ed centers have classes in anticipation of the holidays.

Even newspapers are helping out. The San Francisco Chronicle's Turkey Training Camp is November 3rd.

Four-star chefs Michael Mina, of his eponymous San Francisco restaurant, and Douglas Keane, of Cyrus in Healdsburg, compete to see who can make the best Thanksgiving meal in the Chronicle test kitchen. They are charged with preparing a meal that home cooks, not just four star chefs, can prepare. Tips and advice flow freely.

Check your local adult ed center, your Sur la Table store, your Williams-Sonoma or community colleges which often have extension programs; all these sources have great advice for free.

Don't forget the extensive list of Thanksgiving cheats, tips and tricks. Timetables and advice, recipes and more all right here. See: Holiday & Seasonal Food Ideas here.

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