Thanks and giving....

My favorite holiday has come and gone. I love Thanksgiving. I hate when it's over.

Mostly, I enjoy a holiday that requires no shopping. I love hosting Thanksgiving dinner. I like the preparation - setting the table, ironing the cotton napkins, buying fresh candles. I don't even mind having to clean the house.

The smell of a roasting turkey is the highlight of the entire day. And then there's gravy and stuffing.

I could, if given the chance, eat nothing but gravy and stuffing every day for the rest of my life.

But now my favorite day is over, and we are onto my least favorite season - Christmas shopping.

I didn't used to loathe Christmas shopping. A long time ago, I used to savor it. Being in the crowds felt festive. We were all on the same quest, looking for a perfect gift that would delight the recipient. Good cheer was in abundance.

Now, I find that my fellow shoppers feel more like competitors. Like that guy in front of me at Target will probably get the last 50" plasma television and I'd better, by hook or by crook, knock him out of place and claim what is rightfully mine.

I can't really blame retailers all that much. We have embraced concepts like Black Friday and, although I shake my head at the line of people outside Toys R Us at 10 pm on Thanksgiving, I can't help but feel that, as a culture, we have created this mess. If those 500 people in line would just stay home, maybe we would get back to normal around here.

These days, my shopping is done mostly on-line. This I can do in my bathrobe. Anything that can be done in a bathrobe ranks high on my list.

So, I'm afraid that I won't be joining the throngs at the mall this weekend.

Gotta go now - it's just about lunch time and there's still plenty of stuffing and gravy to microwave.

History in the making....

There's been a historic election at my school. For the first time in memory, the Fox has defeated the Bear in the Kindergarten election.

The Kindergarten election takes place every year. We read a little book, titled, aptly, "The Election." In "The Election" both a Fox and a Bear want to be in charge of the forest.

The Fox stands on a ...... box (you were thinking something else?) and says that he will do what's right. Other than this, the Fox doesn't really seem to have a campaign platform. He is vague about his agenda and it is difficult to figure out where he stands on fiscal and social issues. I have a hunch that he does not support same sex marriage, but that is just my instinct. I have never seen his position papers. I do know that the Porcupine is one of his staunchest supporters.

The Bear sits in a ...... chair and listens to the problems of his fellow woodland creatures. He, too, is an enigma. There have been whispers, however, that the bear still supports a single payer health care system. But that could just be rumor.

So, we start our election in Kindergarten by reading the book in class. Then I send a copy home to all of the families, and ask them to read the book and cast their votes. Anyone in the home can vote. This year, I know a few stuffed animals voted, but since this is Chicagoland, those votes are just as valid as ones cast by actual breathing human beings.

Then, a few days later, we tally the votes. In order to ensure veracity, I have the kids do the counting. So what if they skip from 19 to 30? Think back to the 2000 Election debacle. My Kindergartners could have done Florida proud!

That the Bear will win has usually been a forgone conclusion. Five year olds want a leader who will do their bidding.

This year, however, the Bear received a scant 12 votes to the 35 cast for the Fox. I was stunned. Seems like even the Kindergartners are fed up. They've voted in a change. It's in the air.

All I can say is - I hope the Fox can assemble a crackerjack team of advisors. I hear that Porcupine is short-listed for Chief of Staff.