Column: Tacos?

I must have missed the memo, but somehow it feels as if society has immediately transitioned from Halloween to Christmas.

I drove by a neighbor's house the other day and his yard was full of decorations. I wasn't quite sure if I wanted to throw up or pull the car over get in the back seat and sob because Thanksgiving seems to have gotten thrown out like yesterday's trash.

I'm not sure if it is because "Black Friday" has turned into such a massive Pre-Christmas event, but I feel society is trending away from experiencing the true joy of Thanksgiving and that is a sad state of affairs.

Growing up I would revel in the lead up to Thanksgiving. Not only would I be getting quite possibly my favorite meal, I would be able to be around my extended family. In my world, there isn't much better than food and family.

Lately it feels like the day for some is some sort of fueling up for the massive sales at the box stores. I've literally seen someone put together a chart to optimize their "Black Friday" experience. I'm all about getting a good deal, but not at cost of ruining Thanksgiving.

Everything that is Pumpkin Spice also mortifies me. It almost feels like fast food and coffee places start rolling out this flavor in late August and it just nauseates me it is often times associated with Thanksgiving. I saw someone get excited at a store once for a bag of pumpkin spice Oreos and I wanted to buy the entire stock from the store and immediately take it to the landfill where it belongs. I'm all about the traditional Thanksgiving dinner and the only pumpkin that will enter my home is in the form of a pie.

When I was teenager I could put away food like I was playing offensive line for the Denver Broncos and Thanksgiving would be the ultimate test of just how much me and my cousin Zac could devour. I watch a couple shows where people do eating challenges and these guys had nothing on Zac and myself. We would have eaten them under the table.

It was to my surprise one year when I went to a family dinner and there was no turkey. I felt as I had been punched in face with a barbell. Not only was there no turkey, the star of the feast was seafood. My traditional Thanksgiving dinner had been vilified and I could barely eat. I've had this happen several other times and I figure I must just be a little too old school with my views on Thanksgiving, but I'm not going to change. The last time I was visiting family in Wyoming for Christmas, my mom informed me her sisters would be hosting Christmas Eve dinner and they would be having a taco bar for the main course. I like tacos and I like bars, but I boycotted because I'm too traditional with my holiday meals. It probably wasn't even good Mexican food anyway. Her kids eat ketchup with turkey so there are some strange things going on in that house.

This year, my sister from Los Angeles as well as my mom and step dad from Wyoming will be visiting for Thanksgiving.

I'm sure my mom and sister will probably be at WalMart about thirty times taking the girls to get stuff over the week, but I hope they don't want to go Friday morning and instead will go do some local shopping Saturday.

And since I'm hosting, it is going to be a traditional dinner with a turkey cooked in the oven. If someone doesn't like what I'm dishing out, they can go eat tacos with my aunt.

Happy Thanksgiving!