December meme

I am of two minds about the December meme: on the one hand, I really do want to encourage myself and others to post more here, and I LOVE answering questions about things I'm interested in, which include mememe. On the other hand, part of me doesn't want to ask people to do my homework for me, as it were.

Mostly, I am thrilled with this idea, though, so please pipe up if you feel like it and not if you don't.

I will post every day in December, about anything you suggest. I will answer every question, no matter what it's about. If I decide to filter a response, I will note that in a public post so you can ask for access if you want.

Some things people sometimes want to ask me about include the following, but I seriously have no appreciable conversational taboos.

• atheism
  
• polyamory
  
• bisexuality/queerness
  
• cooking, especially for special diets (vegan, gluten-free, FA, low-fat, etc.)
  
• temping
  
• the Green Party

My only real holiday

I'm an atheist and introvert, with partners who care about as much as I do about holidays, so in general, we don't do anything for any holidays, especially since the kid left home.

The only holiday I have any love for is Thanksgiving. It's a food holiday, not strongly religious, and about gratitude, my favorite state of mind.

Funnily enough, I like approximately zero traditional American Thanksgiving foods. No matter. I love to cook, and to feed people, and no one ever minds if I add in a few side dishes I do like.

When I was a kid, I was the only one of my mom's four kids who had any interest in cooking with her, so we did T-day together. She did the meats, gravies, and stuffing. I did the sides and pies.

I'm excited that Mom is up for doing it that way this year. She's doing turkey and ham, stuffing and gravy. I'm doing the following, with asterisks by the items I don't hate:

roasted Brussels sprouts

sweet-potato casserole, which I've never made, but which James likes

*potatoes Dauphinoise (I don't care for mashed potatoes, and Mom consented to replace our traditional potatoes and corn with this)

*maybe rolls, maybe not

canned cranberry sauce, which Mom considers essential

*Mama Stamberg's cranberry relish

relish tray of celery, *olives, and *sweet gherkins

pumpkin pie

lemon meringue pie (the thing I make that Mom likes best)

*Marie-Helene's apple cake