Conversations with Claus Vol.5 – Thanksgiving Trouble Welcome to another Conversation with Claus, a Skype session with Santa Claus in which he provides sage advice to callers about celebrating the holidays. This month, Santa speaks with Dee Zaster from Downey. Dee is hosting her very first Thanksgiving dinner, and unfortunately, she’s not the world’s greatest cook. To make matters worse, her mother-in-law is coming to dinner. But it’s not just Thanksgiving that has her in a tizzy. Dee is also starting to feel the pressure of the impending holiday rush that begins the day after turkey day. Let’s see what Santa has to offer. Hi Santa. First time caller, long time fan. Ho, ho, ho. Thank you Ms. Zaster. Now, what can I help with? Well, as you know, Thanksgiving is here, and I’m a bit stressed out about cooking my first turkey. My husband keeps joking about disconnecting the smoke detectors. At least, I think he’s joking. On top of that, his mother-in-law is coming and she can be a bit… critical. She says she’s bringing a backup turkey “just in case.” I know what you mean about mothers-in-law. When I was courting Mrs. Claus, her mother told her she should look for a man in a more steady line of work. She kept asking, “What kind of a man only works one a day a year?” I’ve heard that Thanksgiving dinners take 18 hours to prepare, only to be entirely consumed during halftime of the football game. Furthermore, it sounds like making the turkey involves jamming a bunch of breadcrumbs up a turkey’s butt? Yes Dee, all of that is true. But try not to worry so much. Just follow the directions and I’m sure Yule do just fine. “Yule?” You better consult your spell check, Santa. I think you mean “you’ll.” No, I’m pretty sure that’s how you spell it. At least, that’s the way I always do. Now, is there anything else you need help with? As a matter of fact, there is. You see, it’s not just Thanksgiving dinner that has me frazzled; it’s the whole “official beginning of the Christmas season” thing that goes with it. First, there’s Black Friday shopping. And second, there’s the Christmas lighting installation. It has to be done Thanksgiving weekend so we’ll have plenty of time to enjoy them before the big day. I see. Who normally installs the Christmas lighting at your house? That would be my husband. And don’t get me started on that. His Christmas lights are like his family. Half of them don’t work, and the other half aren’t very bright. Plus, he usually ends up tangled in light strings, hanging from the second story gutter. Last year I had to call the fire department to get him down. Well, I don’t have much to offer about Black Friday shopping. I never understood why people spend Thanksgiving day being thankful for everything they have, then spend the next day buying a bunch of new stuff. I do have a solution for your Christmas lighting installation needs, however. What’s that, Santa? Just call Mobile Illumination. Mobile Illumination will create the perfect Christmas lighting design for home. Their experienced technicians will get it installed right, then maintain and service it all season long. They’ll even take it all down and store it when the holidays are over. Just let Mobile Illumination take care of all the details, so you can spend your time enjoying the holiday season. But you better hurry, Christmas is fast approaching! Thanks Santa, that’s a great idea! I’ll call them today. Although our neighbors may be a bit disappointed. Why’s that? They really enjoy gathering on the lawn each year while my husband is decorating and betting on whether he’ll fall off the roof or not. Tune in next month for another Conversation with Claus. And in the meantime, give Mobile Illumination a call to take care of all your Christmas lighting and decorating needs. Happy Thanksgiving from Mobile Illumination!