Thanksgiving Prep

I don't get Thanksgiving off this year. Yep, after eight years of bragging about the benefits of working for no money in the nonprofit world because we get Thursday AND Friday off for Thanksgiving, now I don't get either day. Poya fell on Friday last month and Thursday the month before, but this month it falls on Saturday. I'm getting totally screwed in November.

Anyway, my new American friends (I'm quite certain they think I'm incredibly clingy as I've totally invited myself into their world, but you have to be pushy if you want friends here) are planning to partake in a Thanksgiving buffet at the Intercontinental. I've never, ever had Thanksgiving at a restaurant. Ever. But I have to say, a little bit of me is excited to not spend an entire day cooking and then the entire evening packing everything up and trying to fit it in the fridge. Plus cooking on a two burner hot plate and a toaster oven is not inspiring. So Thursday evening I will be heading towards the Intercontinental.

That said, the thought of not making anything, particularly when I have a perfectly good pumpkin awaiting greatness, is a little hard to take. So I'm making pumpkin cookies. They are pretty good too. Takes twice as long to cook them as it should, but whatever.Don't judge me by my toaster oven, it is not really mine (and yes, cooking batches of cookies in a toaster oven sucks!).

They real reason for this post is not to make you jealous of my totally from scratch pumpkin cookies. The real reason is to make you aware of "Buy Nothing Day."

This year they have actually amended the rules. Instead of "buy nothing" they are encouraging consumers to "Buy Nothing Day(ngerous to the planet)." So here are the things that are acceptable to purchase (this should really be everyday of your life, not just Black Friday):

- buy something from a thift store - unwrapped, preloved
- buy a subscription to CSA organic produce box
- buy membership to a car share network
- buy local
- buy organic, recycled, non toxic, reused, durable, functional
- buy carbon credits for the family's travel for the past or upcoming year
- buy solar panels
- buy a composting toilet

So there you have it. I hope you all have a lovely Thanksgiving and that you take a nice long bike ride on Black Friday. It really is the best day of the year to go hiking or biking.

I don't know why I'm saying Happy Thanksgiving, it is only Tuesday and I know I'll write before Thursday!