Frantic running, pots clanging, doorbell ringing. If cooking for the holidays was a disease, these would be the symptoms. Even if you’re a mastermind in the kitchen who can whip up a perfect seven course meal, the mess, hassle and overall exhaustion can make even Christmas seem like one massive to-do list. Despite all of this, when I tell people that my family eats at a restaurant for both Thanksgiving and Christmas, the large majority are horrified.
For example, during Thanksgiving, I go to an Italian restaurant with my family. For the holiday, the restaurant serves pastas such as alfredo, ravioli, baked ziti and spaghetti, as well as traditional Thanksgiving food like stuffing, turkey, ham, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce. Rolls bridge the gap between the Italian and traditional, along with pumpkin pie, apple pie and chocolate cake. As someone who would consider herself an unenthusiastic consumer of traditional Thanksgiving food, year after year, I continue to be delighted with my meal of pasta and stuffing.
If you are thinking about the inevitable question–what about the leftovers–I can assure you that every year our family lugs back boxes upon boxes of leftovers with everything from the bread, turkey and dessert. We watch football in the restaurant, and when everyone’s reached their limit of togetherness, we go our separate ways, play Christmas music in the car and then decorate at home.
We get to enjoy our family time without the stress and responsibility of hosting and are even able to spend more time together without people running out of the room to check on the turkey. If you love to cook, making a holiday meal can be a joy, but for many, I would encourage trying the restaurant path. R
