Turkey Table

 

By Mary Jo Rulnick

 

        Thanksgiving dinner seems to take an entire day, if not two, to prepare.  Everyone comes to the table with eyes bigger than their tummies and starts digging in.  Unfortunately, before you know it, the stomachs are stuffed and your dinner guests are ready to hit the sofa to snooze or watch the current football game or holiday program. 

 

        However, after all those hours of preparation, you feel almost cheated.  You want to sit and linger a bit before you have to start scraping dishes, packing away the leftovers and loading the dishwasher.  And you don’t want to sit there by yourself.

 

        Here are three ideas to keep your guests just a little bit longer at the dinner table.

 

1.   Thankful Messages.  Taking turns, each person will finish the sentence.  “This year, I’m thankful for ….”  It can be anything from good health to a day of relaxation, no judging.  This is a perfect way to reflect on your blessings with your family.

 

2.   Pilgrim Trip.  With everyone around the dinner table, the first person says, “I’m going on the Mayflower and I’m taking ------.”  Fill in the blank with an item that starts with the letter A.  The next person repeats the first person’s sentence and adds an item with the letter B.  And the game continues until someone misses an item.  The game can start over until it’s down to one person with the best memory.  Little ones can pair up with an adult.

 

3.    Turkey TV.  Thanksgiving Day kicks off the holiday season with numerous holiday programs and movies.   Have each person name a holiday program, sporting event, animated cartoon, Christmas movie, etc., that is usually aired from Thanksgiving Day to New Year’s Day.

 

These simple ideas will keep your guests lingering at the dinner table just a little bit longer.

 

Happy Turkey Day! 

Mary Jo

 

Copyright 2005 Mary Jo Rulnick