Preparing for the holidays
Yesterday I bought a free-range, organic turkey. I won't be telling The Husband about the free-range, organic part, since, as a scientist, (hard-science, the type of science that is based on quantifying and reproducing data, i.e., not social science) he has a tendency to deride anything labeled "organic". Today will marinade turkey as follows

Mix together
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup chopped garlic (comes in a little jar, already chopped)
basil
Rub turkey inside and out with the above. Lift turkey skin and add the olive oil and garlic mixture, and then inset a whole sprig of rosemary on each side of the turkey. If you have a large turkey, use two sprigs. Pour any remaining mixture on turkey, wrap in Saran wrap, and refrigerate until Thursday when ready to roast.

(For those of you evil-minded people who are asking, has The Husband made fun of the "extra virgin" terminology, the answer is yes.)

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. It's a most American holiday, and it involves eating good food in (hopefuly!) good company.

Christmas is nice, but it's overloaded with too much emotional overtone, the stores prepare for it waaay too long ahead, and the music is awful. A day or two of Christmas carols will do, thank you, but six weeks is maddening. Even Handel's Messiah gets on my nerves, and, besides, I think The Messiah's more appropriate for Easter anyway. (As far as those eternal replays on TV of It's A Wonderful Life and other sappy movies, you don't want me to go there. Trust me on this.)

As an antidote to the usual Christmas carols, I suggest With Joyful Voice: Christmas Music of Eight Centuries (Box Set), a 3-CD set with one CD of Medieval, one Renaissance, and one Baroque, Christmas music. As an Amazon reviewer said, "A mood of quiet joy pervades the presentation."

Your guests will enjoy it as background music, and you'll enjoy listening to it while getting dinner ready. Best yet, you won't be repeating Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer in your head for hours.