I posted my question and braced for the snark. I anticipated wisecracks and outright insults, chiding me for such an egregious holiday faux pas.
After all, what proper hostess doesn’t actually cook her own Thanksgiving meal?
Answer: Me … and apparently a whole lot of other people.
My post was to my town’s Facebook page, asking neighbors for Thanksgiving catering suggestions. To my pleasant surprise, it generated more than 40 responses, most of them helpful. There was only one person who expressed any sort of opinion on the idea of ordering in for Turkey Day — but her response, too, didn’t appear judgmental. She simply noted that she was grateful that her daughters were cooking Thanksgiving dinner this year and that “I never realized so many order in for Thanksgiving.”
Neither did I.
I don’t know what percentage of the U.S. population orders prepared food for Thanksgiving. I’d assume it’s more popular in more affluent communities and less popular in working class areas, since prepared meals for six cost more than $100, more than twice the cost of groceries needed to make one family’s Thanksgiving dinner from scratch. It’s especially common at Whole Foods, which completed more than 100,000 Thanksgiving orders last year, NPR reported. That grocery chain, as you may know, is famed for its popularity with foodies and organics enthusiasts.
But I don’t consider ordering Thanksgiving dinner to be some sort of status symbol. Far from it — frankly, it makes me feel a little ashamed. Part of a holiday’s charm is its traditions and who among us hasn’t marinated in the idea that Thanksgiving Day should include someone donning an apron and bending over an oven from time to time to gently baste a slowly browning bird?
But what if you’re exhausted from work or parenting or both and really can’t bring yourself to baste away this year? What if you don’t want to imprison yourself in the kitchen for half the day and would rather spend time with visiting family or friends? Or what if you hate cooking so much that you once flew into a mild rage and threatened your raw turkey with a baseball bat? (Guilty.)
In such circumstances (and probably many others that I haven’t thought of) ordering in just makes sense … and plenty of people, clearly, do it. Why else would so many grocery stores and catering companies specifically offer Thanksgiving meal deals?
So I’m going to forget the shame and set aside my Thanksgiving ideals. The real point of the holiday is gratitude, and a hot meal is something to be thankful for … whether it’s home-cooked or not.
To help families in need enjoy hot Thanksgiving meals, consider donating to The Scary Mommy Thanksgiving Project.
Image courtesy of ThinkStock