Thanksgiving marathon

Sarah's family does Thanksgiving right. Instead of a sprint, they make it a marathon. We had "dinner" at noon, with crystal, table cloths, and every traditional Thanksgiving side ever thought of. (I must say one of my favorites was the sweet potatoes with marshmallows. This was never a dish on my family's holiday table when I was growing up, and I had a hard time believing it wasn't a dessert.) Then we took a half-time — enough for after dinner conversation, a movie and a walk down to the park — before eating a dinner of leftovers again. We played the game "Deal or No Deal," then we had a schmorgasbord of desserts.

So this is what I'm saying. Instead of gorging on one meal, eating until you are too stuffed to sit up, why not spread it across the entire day. It's like a sporting event. Those who can't hang slip off into a turkey-induced slumber. The rest of us are there till the bitter end, and there were prizes. Okay, not for being able to eat all day, but Sarah's mom, Sue, always seems to have gifts.

Lessons learned: Turkey sandwiches are great on Thanksgiving too.