It’s Thanksgiving Week, and it is as famous for it’s stress-inducing gathering preparation as it is for it’s history. There are traditions I even remember my own mom made sure to uphold each year, that I have no idea why we continued.

Oh yeah, because it’s tradition! Well not all traditions are beautiful and meaningful. If you don’t know why you are doing them, maybe it’s time to tweak things a bit. I am not talking about anything political or historical. I am thankful for the Pilgrims making their way over here, and I love my family. We pray at the table and then talk about geeky things and music.

Thanksgiving is beautiful, but not all traditions are necessary. So, this year, here are a couple of “traditions” I ditched…or modified to make the day more fun for me and my fam:

I’m not getting up for the Macy’s Day Parade.

The Rose Parade can still be pretty impressive, float wise, but only the top half of the Macy’s Day is sorta interesting. We can look up the balloons later online, so why do I have to sit through lip-synced smarmy songs on lackluster floats. Last year, we got up for one K-Pop group, we could have waited to see on YouTube that afternoon. Nope! I’m sleeping in a bit.

I’m not repeating the same sepia-toned meal every year.

Growing up, my mom (a wonderful woman who had an aversion for spice and flavors in her cooking) would make the same no-frills turkey dinner at Thanksgiving. Then she would repeat the exact same dinner at Christmas. When I got married, I broke the Christmas repeat, and we begin going full U.K. Christmas meals with London Broil, Yorkshire pudding, mince pies and dorky Christmas paper crowns…and we all love it. Yet, Thanksgiving was still boring and lackluster.This year, we are going to work on modifying that meal. There are some things we’ll keep, like the jellied cranberries (them’s good eatin’). This year, we are shifting things around. We purchased a Cajun style turkey breast, and are adding some blackened shrimp, red beans and rice and Cajun stuffing. We are replacing green bean casserole with fried okra…and well you get the drill, We’re making it fun. It will still be turkey centric, but not nursing home boring.

We are watching A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, dang it!

Now that streaming services and the beauty of a fire stick can help you find what you want, I’m not overlooking this holiday classic. I know it’s not the Great Pumpkin or Charlie Brown Christmas, but I love it. It always gets overlooked. I particularly love that Snoopy punk’d those brats pretending he couldn’t cook. Once them kids were safely on their way to Grandma’s he pulled out a gourmet worthy Thanksgiving feast for he and Woodstock. That’s why Snoopy is the GOAT, and I will be watching.

I’m not forcing my family to go around the table and say what they are thankful for.

My family never did this, but my husband’s aunts were pastor’s wives. This tradition was really just so they could monologue a bit before dinner about their own kids’ achievements. It’s just me, the hubby and two girls, one teen and one college-aged. We know what’s up with each other. We don’t have to over-share.

We’re eating a Dinner at Dinner Time.

For some reason, Thanksgiving dinner in many households has morphed into Thanksgiving lunch. Get up waaaaay to early too prepare the meal. Eat at noonish, then turn on football game and try to make awkward conversation through the afternoon until you make turkey sandwiches. No. we’re eating dinner at dinner time so I can take my time making it. Then we’ll have something to look forward. This also gives me an excuse to make nifty pastries for breakfast that day without feeling guilty about eating a big lunch.

And finally, and this one may be controversial..

No more Sweet Gherkins.

There was always a little dish of rubbery, Sweet Gherkins on the Thanksgiving table growing up. After my mom passed away, my father always came over for Thanksgiving dinner, and made sure he brought a jar of those midget pickles. No one ate them, and I figured we were just doing it for Dad. One year, he called and asked if I needed him to pick up a jar. I told him just to get a little one, because he was the only one who ate them.

“I never eat them,” he said. “I don’t like them. They’re gross.”

“Then, why do you bring them?”

“Mom always had them on the table.”

“Did anyone like them?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Why do you get them?”

“We always just did.”

“You don’t have to bring them anymore, Dad.”

“That’s fine.”

And, that’s how we ended that tradition.

I hope everyone has a beautiful Thanksgiving this year, and it is filled with the things you love. Traditions you all want, and void of the ones you don’t. Make new ones, too, and cherish those who want the share them with you.

Now, if you excuse me, I’m off to purchase some cans of whole olives, because we have to have them on the table every year.