favorite holiday. I love the cool, crisp days, or the muggy hot

ones. I love the leaves falling even if I have to rake them. I love

the energy of the animals as they gather and prepare for the

beginning of winter less than a month away. I love the all-day

feast of football and food. I love family and friends gathering

with gratitude in their hearts, but what I love most is the day

after Thanksgiving, Black Friday and cold turkey

the Admiral rising from our bed at 3 a.m., or earlier to go stand

in line with the other escapees from mental institutions in an

effort to spend the bank account into the red under the claim of,

you spent to save that much!” That is the purpose of Black Friday,

and the origin of the name. Businesses want you to spend your

ledger into the red so that theirs will be in the black, which are

the traditional colors for accounting transactions. Debits are red,

while credits are black. Everyone wants black ink, but on this day,

the Admiral feels it her duty to transfer our black to several

stores’ red in the season’s tradition of giving. Black Friday is an

obsession with her. Planning for the day begins weeks in advance,

maybe even in the evening of the current Black Friday for the one

often alone to decompress from serious overindulgence of family,

friends, football and food. I am surprised every year that after

gorging the day before that I could ever be hungry again, but

hunger is not a requirement for

pleasure of a cold turkey sandwich. The house is quiet and

breathing a sigh of relief from all the chaos of the day before.

The Princesses either went with the Admiral, or are hiding upstairs

doing Princess things, and I am left to my own

Thanksgiving, I make my way to the kitchen for one of the greatest

pleasures of the season, a cold turkey sandwich. I do believe that

Thanksgiving leftovers are one of the most underrated pleasures in

life. The food is still as good, maybe better, than it was the day

the season is a special event and has to be assembled correctly.

The succeeding ones can be slapped together, but the first one

requires a certain amount of ceremony. First, the bread has to be

fresh, and if possible, homemade. I prefer white, but I will go

with a dark rye if it is available. Both have their merits, and

since I am building one cold turkey sandwich, why not build

out, condiments are the next step. I have never been one to slather

on huge amounts of mayo, or ketchup, or whatever. This is a cold

TURKEY sandwich I am creating, not a cold ketchup sandwich. A dab

of mayo, and a swipe of mustard, with salt and pepper are

sufficient to seasoning. I do not go for lettuce, tomato, or onion

on the first one. I do not want anything to mask the flavor of the

turkey coupled with the bread. After all, that is what a cold

turkey sandwich is all about, the glory of the

eaten in front of the TV watching more football, but only if you

can eat and watch at the same time. If not, it is best to eat the

cold delight on the porch, or looking out a window so as not to be

distracted from the delicacy at hand. A cold turkey sandwich is to

be savored, not devoured, at least not the first

rye bread, is to be savored as well, but football with this one is

completely acceptable. However, you should stop occasionally to

appreciate your sandwich artistry. I am certain that is why

sated, and about this time, the Admiral comes home. “I’m

even in the bounds of marriage to lie about this, so I say,

Friday and cold turkey sandwiches. Happy-day-after-Thanksgiving to