methinks wit is more necessary than beauty; and I think no young woman ugly that has it...

1. Tell us about your very favorite (yes we know that's redundant) Thanksgiving.
   Each one is unforgettable, of course, and I could make an argument for any one of them. But this one is shaping up to be the fave, I think, because it was just so comfortable. The right mix of people, all the best food (although never enough gravy. Seriously, we should do half the potatoes and twice the gravy!), and the right kind of weird tension so that there's no forgetting that it's a family event. It doesn't hurt - much - that I'm half in love with one of the attendees and that this is the one day that I see him every year. So. Yeah. Anyway: this year was really, really good.
2. What are you doing for Turkey Day this year?
   As I have for the past few years, I was lucky enough to be included in The Cat/Beast/Sparky's family Thanksgiving celebration. I drove up on Wednesday evening for the pre-party and came back late last night.
3. If you were to go to somebody else’s house, what would be your favorite dish to bring?
   I usually get one of the "kid" dishes (e.g. vegetables) but this year I insisted that I be allowed, and was permitted, to make one of the Main Events: dessert. Knowing The Cat's profound fondness for wedding cake, I dusted off a recipe for a phenomenally good frosting. Made a standard white layer cake to match. It turned out very nicely, and apart from incessant teasing (all of which was good-natured and fun) about the extreme paleness of the dessert, it was a success.
4. Tell us about the funniest person that you'll be with this Thanksgiving.
   
   • The Grand-Beast is the most joke-y of the bunch, and tells some really great stories.
   • Beast loves puns - and loves to see my face when he zings a good one.
   • The Cat knows me SO well, she can make me laugh helplessly at will. (She's also just a generally witty person.)
   • Sparky, their offspring, is turning out to be one of my favorite people, in part because he has both a clever mind and a knack for stating the obvious.
   • Nephew James is silly-funny, very eager to get a reaction to the deliberate jokes that he makes, which are legitimately funny.
   • Nephew Don is sneaky-funny, sly and surprising and seemingly almost embarrassed by his inability to refrain from participating in the humor.
   • And I...try.
5. What would surprise us to know about your Thanksgivings?
   That's hard to say. This year's conversation was quite ribald at times - is that a surprise? - and I had almost nothing to do with instigating it.
6. Does your usual mix of guests result in drama, or is it a group you’re happy to see?
   Yes, and yes. It's not "drama" in the newly typical definition (buh-bye, Katherine) but there is a vibe. Maybe some year it'll sort itself out. It's not bad, though - at least, I don't think it is.
7. What did your family do for Thanksgiving when you were a kid? Do you still do it?
   Thanksgiving used to be the big holiday in my family of origin. My mom's side of the family (all her sisters and her brother and their kids and their families, as appropriate) gathered at my grandparents' house for a day of food and hanging out. The house wasn't quite big enough for all of us, but it didn't matter. Those were some of the best times of my childhood.
   Nah, that's not how it is anymore. My grandparents died when I was a young adult, the extended family splintered apart, Thanksgiving was celebrated by each family unit instead of all together, and then there was a situation with my parents resulting in my decision to refrain from joining them. Really, it's better this way.
8. We know you've been asked this probably 15 times this week. But share with us in 2010, what are you most thankful for?
   The best of all possible friends. Chances, whether realized or not. Health. Good books. Unlimited texting. Warm socks. Music. Pie.
9. Okay, the big question: are you going to 'attend' any of the "Black Friday" sales? ...and if you are, are you hard core serious like the 5 am "be there" crowd?
   Not even if you forced me. My Friday was spent curled in a ball (or various derivations thereof) on the Cat-end of the couch, reading Joe College and drinking lemon tea, hanging out with Beast and/or Sparky, snerfling with the dregs of a cold and a stubborn headache, and thinking just a wee bit too much. No shopping at all.

[from The Cat, naturally, who got it here; title quotation by William Wycherley and ends thus: "...and no handsome woman agreeable without it."]