Thanksgiving Eve!

Yep, I thought that was clever...

So, in an attempt to maintain the spirit of gratitude this Thanksgiving, I am trying to not over- stress, over-freak, and over-clean. We are hosting Eric's family tomorrow afternoon--thank goodness we are sharing the food responsibilities--and I have to remind myself that no one is going to be checking the dust level on the dresser in the guest room or wonder why the dining room chairs aren't polished. I have a tendency to focus on details that no one cares about when we are having company when the really important thing is to just Calm...Down. Oh, and also to just enjoy the day.

If I don't spend hours cleaning and preparing, I actually enjoy myself better once the company arrives. It isn't that I'm over-the-top OCD, but I do put more pressure on myself than anyone else puts on me. (I won't go into great detail about how I went in circles for over half an hour at Fred Meyer last night trying to put together a suitable centerpiece. But after multiple combinations with candles, real flowers, fake flowers, wreaths, and other objects, I ended up buying only one decorative candle with a glass hurricane covering and some little pebbles to scatter around it.)

Today being the day before the holiday, I have to prioritize and decide where to best put my energy in preparation for tomorrow. I was raised that you use your best china, utensils and linens for holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas, so that is something I do not skimp on. The Waterford wedding china and stemware will come out (only 8 place settings will be necessary, which I know Eric will give me a hard time about because I insisted on getting 10,) the gold chargers, my grandma's silver, and the extensions for the dining room table. And yes, I will set the table 1 day before. My grandma was a great example of this...although she didn't have 3 very curious cats who like to sniff, investigate, and possibly walk on the newly set table.

We are also getting our chimney inspected today--yay! We have 2 fireplaces, one upstairs and one downstairs, which share a chimney, and Eric thought we shouldn't burn any fires until we know the shape they are in. Probably a sound decision, and I do love a fire in the fireplace when there is company. It makes the house feel more homey.

Then there are the other tediums, like cleaning the bathrooms, getting the wrinkles out of the tablecloth, and general house upkeep. Not easy tasks when Eric is sleeping off graveyard shifts until tomorrow and sleeps until about 2pm.

OK, now that I read this I see that even at the minimum, there is still a lot to do today. Better get busy!

UPDATE:

It is now 7:35pm, Thanksgiving Eve. The table is set and I think I've done pretty good at pacing myself and not overdoing it. Although tomorrow's group has already shrunk to 6, possibly 5 of us! That's OK. The important thing for those of us who will be here is to enjoy each other's company and count our blessings. Oh, and to eat!

I love using our wedding china!