I have writer’s block.
There, I said it.
I didn’t want to write about what I was thankful for.
I didn’t want to write about Thanksgiving traditions.
Because other people are writing about those things.
Because they don’t have writer’s block.
My well is a little dry, but it is all good because I have been through this before and know it won’t last.
I will come up with TONS of pertinent holiday post ideas.
Come January.
Last week, I was middle-of-the-night googling when I had a case of insomnia, madly looking for ideas.
After typing in, “November Blogging Prompts,” I stumbled upon this site.
She has prompts for the whole month of November.
She even has prompts for August, September and October.
I can barely think of two topics for one month of Chicago Parent posts and she can think of three months worth.
She really needs to be writing here for me.
Kidding, Jackie, kidding!
So, I have decided that I will use the prompts.
Yes, plural.
I am going to give one sentence answers to all of the prompts, ALL OF THE PROMPTS.
Because I am an overachiever.
And also because of the whole writers block thing.
1- Share your family’s stuffing/ cranberry sauce/ gravy recipe: Stove Top/ Ocean Spray/ Heinz.
2- What are you most thankful about in 2014? That my family still likes me after all these years.
3- What is your favorite Thanksgiving memory? The first Thanksgiving I didn’t have to work Black Friday.
4- Does your family do Black Friday? Why or why not? No, because I’ve worked 15 Black Friday’s. I know what happens.
5- Share your best tips for surviving Black Friday: Don’t leave your house?
6- What is on your Black Friday shopping list? Nothing, WAIT, maybe cheese. Because … cheese.
7- Do you have any special Thanksgiving traditions? Watching the parades in the morning, looking at all the ads of the Black Friday sales we won’t be attending and eating broccoli cheese casserole.
8- If you could design a float for the parade what would it look like? A gigantic taco!
9- Keep a gratitude journal for a week and share what you wrote: I am grateful that I only committed to writing a sentence.
10- What are you most looking forward to this holiday season? Seeing my family and Rolo cookies, in that order.
11- What are your best money saving tips for holiday shopping? Don’t go shopping?
12- Share your favorite apps for saving money while shopping: Target Cartwheel. I am not promoting Target because WE ALL know what happened last holiday season.
13- Share your favorite apps for memory keeping at the holidays: Really? Apps? How about going caroling? Whatever happened to caroling?!?!
14- What decision are you glad you made this year? To audition for Listen to Your Mother and switching to Cottonelle toilet paper, in that order.
15- Talk about what bothers you this time of year? That my family lives far away and that the Rolo cookies don’t last, also in that order.
16- Do a little research on the family tree and see what you can find: I can barely find the time to wrap presents, something tells me this isn’t getting done. See me in January.
17- Share your best pumpkin pie recipe: My grandma and mom made the best pumpkin pie. I could tell you the recipe but then I would have to kill you. Just kidding. Great, that was more than one sentence. Crap.
18- Show how you have decorated your home for Thanksgiving: You can go here for my dollar store Thanksgiving. #ShamelessPlug
19- What are your plans for Thanksgiving? Going to one of our favorite families home and eating lots of good food.
20- Share a few images that represent gratitude: See this would require time and effort. And also I am afraid to share pictures that aren’t my own because of the whole Pinterest Suing You debacle of 2013.
21-Share some old family photos:
My brother and I doing the Thanksgiving dishes circa 1993. Apparently I kept the 80’s animal sweater trend going.
22- What is your earliest memory? I remember this life size doll I used to love that my Gramma kept in a closet in her house. It sounds way scarier than it was.
23- What are your goals this holiday season? To bake, to see lights, to be in the moment with my family, to not gain 10 pounds eating Rolo cookies.
24- How do you plan your holidays (printables/forms you use)? My calendar. If it’s on there, we do it; if it isn’t, we don’t.
25- How do you share your gratitude with others? I tell them?
26- How did you incorporate a significant other into your holiday traditions? He doesn’t care as long as there are Rolo cookies. And ham.
27- What is one holiday tradition you want to start in your family? Caroling. BUT SOME PEOPLE IN MY FAMILY THINK THAT IS LAME. Ahem.
28- How does it feel to drive into your hometown during the holidays? I haven’t driven into my hometown for a holiday in over 20 years.
29- Talk about how family dysfunction has affected you and your holiday celebrations: Our family has been relatively free of dysfunction at the holidays but way to ask a loaded question RIGHT before the holidays. Just in time to talk about it over the dinner table. CRAP, I WROTE MORE THAN ONE SENTENCE AGAIN.
30-How do you keep the spirit of Thanksgiving alive year round? It is nice to have a reminder once a year but I am so thankful for everything we have year-round.
I am also really thankful for all of you who have read my posts this year.
You have no idea how much it means to me to read your comments here, on Facebook and in real life.
I put my all into my writing … when I don’t have writers block, that is … so when you reach out and respond, it makes it so amazingly rewarding.
Happy Thanksgiving!
