I actually love the holiday season.

OK. I will finally admit it here. Yes, I do indeed love the holiday season. Well, parts of it at least. What annoys me is getting together with relatives whom I can barely tolerate the rest of the year. Oh, and the pleasure of sitting in my car for hours just so I can hang out with these folks for a day. If it was just the men in the family, it probably wouldn't be so bad but the women on my dad's side of the family (the only family I have in California) can be downright bitchy. I think I can trace the problem back to the fact that most of these folks love the book, The Art of War. This is why I have reached a compromise with my dad. I spend Christmas with him. Any other holiday depends on my mood.

Thanksgiving in the past was spent at my dad's cousin's house as she is only about a 20 minute drive away. Last year I passed on that to go to a friend's house instead. Much more fun. We all cooked the dinner together while drinking copious amounts of wine and bourbon.

This year I haven't received one of those kinds of invitations. I'd probably pass though. All I want to do this Thanksgiving is to sit in front of the TV with the kittens. This brings me to another one of my Thanksgiving traditions. Years ago I realized that even if you leave with a plate of leftovers, it is not nearly enough. Days later I would find myself longing for turkey and cranberry sauce sandwiches only to not have any around. That is when I started purchasing a small bird and making all of the fixings.

I went out this weekend and bought all of the ingredients for my traditional Turkey Day feast. The only thing up in the air is what type of dessert to prepare this year. I'll probably also be making a care package. My aunt -- one the cattiest women in the family but I still love her even though I know she says some of the most horrid things about me behind my back -- does not really cook. She is also going in this week to have a lump removed. (Yes, it is cancerous.) So I figure one of the best ways to recover from surgery is to have a nice home-cooked meal. It is also part of my master plan to show that I really am a better person than she is. You gotta keep the enemies close. I mean, how else will I ever be able to take over the world?