Thanksgiving Eve 2008

At the moment, I have my laptop, a steaming mug of Starbucks Thanksgiving Day Blend coffee, a roaring fire, and I'm reclined in my favorite leather arm chair in my den. It is a brief interlude between what has been a chaotic day and what is sure to be a busy night. I can feel the Christmas buzz building as we are on the cusp of the Holiday season tonight, but.... I also need this brief respite. I usually post a little later on Thanksgiving Eve; however, I know this is going to be a very long evening so I wanted to go ahead and write my post now rather than trying to keep my eyes open at 3am in order to string together a few semi-coherent thoughts for the blog.

Mrs. Claus and I... as well as several of my senior staff members... have been running around like crazy today, trying to complete preparations for the big Thanksgiving Day feast tomorrow. It is a huge event for us every year. Mrs. Claus insists on doing all the cooking herself (and it is FANTASTIC) but all of the logistics are left to me and the elves.

My day today started early as I set the alarm for 4:30a so I could get in a quick run and some weights. I am very happy to tell you that I have maintained a strict diet and exercise regimen during the off-season and my physical fitness is peaking right now. I have never been more ready for a Christmas season than I am this year. I'm well under 230lbs for the first time in years. But I digress....

I have been running errands most of the day. Immediately before settling in for this break, I went down to the southern US to pick up the fresh turkeys for tomorrow's feast. We switched to a provider in Tennessee this year after sourcing from Kentucky for the past 17 years. Anyway, through a series of mishaps & misfortune, I ended up having to take one of my old sleighs to pick up the turkeys. It was the same sleigh I used from 1965 to 1969. Wow... after driving my newest sleigh that I just took delivery on this summer, that thing seemed ancient. It was all over the place... I couldn't seem to control it. It's heavy... built like a tank but takes twice the number of reindeer for the same load as my new sleigh. No seat belt. No air bag. Have to stand on the brakes to get it to stop. I can't believe I didn't have a major accident in that thing. I was afraid to turn on the radio as I remember that it used to drain the battery operating all of the other on-board equipment within a few minutes. It was like a flying heap of junk! The whole trip ended up taking me twice as long. But somehow, it also brought back some good memories. It as fun to fly a classic... even with all the frustrations that it caused.

Anyway, I better wrap up. I need to go check on the banquet room set-up, talk to the manager for the band we're bringing in, and welcome some of our early arriving guests (a couple of celebrities and heads of State are arriving tonight and will spend the evening here, primarly for security purposes). Then it will be off to have a late dinner with Mrs. Claus. Then I'll keep Mrs. Claus company in the kitchen as she finishes up her preparations.

I hope all of you have fantastic Thanksgiving Day... even if, like me, you don't live in the United States, because we all have many blessings for which we can give Thanks.