I will spend Thanksgiving with my family. My own little family. People that I love and like. Liking your family is very important. Don't you think

I would do the cooking and baking with my daughter so that one day when she will host Thanksgiving she will remember her mama. Just like I remember my Uncle Tony and Aunt Hortense whenever Thanksgiving rolls around. Uncle Tony's wonderful New England feasts that he lovingly prepared and Aunt Hortense yellow chiffon cake with three daisies on top of it. Always with the three daisies. She would take them home after every Thanksgiving meal and we would see them at the next feast.

We will set out the silver, crystal, and the set of ironstone that my husband got me especially for Thanksgiving a long time ago. We will say a prayer and remember all who passed before us. Talk about the current events. It will be nice to have just family here. My family.

There is a park in Bastrop called "Fisherman Park" by the Colorado River by then they will have set a trail of Christmas lights and it's very pleasant to walk at your own leisure after a big meal. I love going to small cities and towns to see the Christmas decorations that they put up.

Hopefully my husband and I will be making memories for Thanksgiving. Someday my children will talk about us and how much better it was back when they were young. That's what we will be doing for Thanksgiving just enjoying my family and being thankful that I am with the love of life, my husband.

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I have the meal already planned in my head. I've made most of it before. I'm inviting all of my friends and family who have nowhere else to go (or who I think may have nowhere else to go). I'll clean the house the weekend before, as thoroughly as possible. I'll do the shopping that weekend as well. Anything I forgot gets bought no later than the Tuesday before. I spend Wednesday night baking desserts and prepping the sides. I get up early to spruce up and get the turkey in the oven. I probably have to pick up my nephews who don't have their own vehicles and who often wind up working that day. Take the turkey out around noon and finish baking off any of the sides that require that. We serve on disposable plates so I don't have much clean up (but we use our silverware). Everyone serves themselves and sit in the living room to eat. If we run out of seating, some of the younger guests will sit on the porch if the weather permits. And we make sure that everyone goes home with something if they want it.

This year is one of the occasional years that Thanksgiving falls on my birthday - same as it did on the day I was born.

Normally, this is a huge deal. Thanksgiving has always been one of my family's favorite holidays; and tying it in with my birthday has just been a nice bonus.

... Except now I live in Australia, and I definitely, 100% have to work on the day. My present to myself is taking off the Friday and Monday to have a nice, long weekend, but my parents and sisters are still on the other side of the world.

And just ... You know, it just really sucks this year. If we could be together, it 'd be the first year that my son and niece would be able to share a Thanksgiving, which in and of itself would have been an awesome birthday gift - more so for my parents to have both their grandchildren for Thanksgiving.