A centerpiece for Thanksgiving.

For the last 26 years, I've anticipated Thanksgiving (and most major holidays) with a sense of agitation and annoyance. I likely had to choose between family members' dinners. And once I made my choice, I would usually come to regret it for some reason or another--generally to do with either a family fight or questionable culinary offerings. This year, however, I received no invitation anywhere and for the first time I was saddened that I wouldn't get a chance to spend an uncomfortable evening with family.

But times change and holiday meals must change with them. As neither my boyfriend nor I wanted to forsake the holiday, we decided to create Thanksgiving 2.0--our way (catered), our guests (he. and I.), our style (still figuring this one out, but most likely it will be drunk, messy and fast).

Once we decided on Auntie Em's Kitchen to provide the edibles, the only thing left to do was sort out decor. Yes, that's right--decor. Just cause it's just the two of us don't mean this party's not a party.

Having spent most of the holiday budget on ordering dinner (and knowing I'll need to save some for the several bottles of wine it will take me to forget that we're actually catering dinner) I turned to the closest 99 Cent Only store for some festive touches. I expected to walk in and find pumpkins and turkey mobiles and pilgrim figurines at my disposal which I would magically, in Martha Stewart style, fashion into some sort of masterful centerpiece. But I am no Martha Stewart. And this was the 99 Cent Only store's excuse for a holiday display.

Realizing that I might need to get creative, I took a trip through the rest of the store. Turkey bags and plastic Halloween pumpkins aside, the pickings were slim. I did manage to scoop up some fall-colored candles, a couple of shiny objects that I figure I can do something with, a glittered reindeer (so, I'm on the wrong holiday--like I said, the pickings were slim) and a ceramic bird that I think may be a turkey (and if it's a chicken, so what?).

The decorations will be mismatched, the food may be from someone else's family kitchen and I may be too drunk at the end to stop myself from eating the last of the pie, but I'll be celebrating Thanksgiving alright--pumpkin pie, pilgrim abuse of the Indians, and all.