Home For The Holidays or Do I Look Like The Turkey?

It’s that time of year when we all start trudging home for the holidays. Whether it be Thanksgiving Dinner, Christmas, Hanukah, or any of them! If you’re like me, you live far from family and only make the trek once a year at most. OK, I confess! I try to avoid it! Now don’t get me wrong, I love my family and I believe they love me, but sometimes these get-togethers seem to be a chaos of innuendo and backhanded compliments! I just know I am going to be barraged with comments about how I have aged, why I should be saving more money, and can’t I just try and dress a little more conservatively? Not that a nun’s habit would make my parent’s happy! It’s hard to believe they think I’m an adult at all.

Sound familiar? My family in particular is hard on aging. Statements such as “Do you really think you should wear that dress now that you’ve gained weight?” or “Oh you are beginning to get your grandmother’s jowls!” fly around the room like angry wasps. Now I am not suggesting a person have cosmetic surgery for family holiday gatherings, but let me tell you about last year’s Thanksgiving. My Great Aunt Sophie sat at the head of the table for a grand extended family dinner. Her daughter, Irene, my mother’s aunt, had baked the turkey. Actually the whole thing started earlier when the men folk decided to go retrieve a live wild turkey! Yes! They hunted and shot one in the wilds somewhere up at Salt Fork Walk. Now this bird was not the only victim to become the butt of many jokes. I don’t know if the bird’s wattle (you know, that fleshy caruncle hanging from the neck) or Aunt Sophie’s got more attention! She dared not look left nor right for it would expose the culprit! Each female descendent at the table self consciously and conscientiously dabbed at their lips with embroidered napkins to hide the genetic potential. The men folk nudged each other, and whispered. It was horrible!

Remember that old movie Home For The Holidays with Holly Hunter? I wonder how she’s looking these days, but do notice how she clutches that scarf around her neck in many scenes in that movie. Was it really that cold? Honestly though, in her mid 50s she looks great. Good genes. Ms. Hunter may have somehow avoided the need for a neck lift. As I said, I am not suggesting cosmetic surgery to please your family or anyone else for that matter, but isn’t it nice to know that surgery might be a good excuse to skip a long weekend? Heck, you might even need a couple of weeks to recover from a neck lift. How can you possibly join the holiday vacation?

On a more serious note, I am grateful for family and look forward to holiday gatherings, turkey wattles and all. I am sure you are too. Everyone at Little Rock Cosmetic Surgery Center wishes each of you a wonderful holiday weekend. Happy Thanksgiving, folks!

Circe Santaniello