Somerville with Townie Tim: Thanksgiving

Wow, what a holiday! As a townie of the millennial generation, the high cost of living in Somerville means your budget may not support two major trips at the end of the year. In almost all cases, the big holidays that happen during winter break take precedence over turkey day. For my family that means Thanksgiving has transformed into a real townie time with our townie friends. Because of this, it has become one of my favorite holidays.

During college, going home for Thanksgiving is really a no-brainer. But, at some point, you’ll be out in the cruel world and might find yourself getting a "friendsgiving" going. Allow your boy Townie Tim to help you out with this endeavor.

First off, let's talk food. A lot has been said about what is, or is not, a Thanksgiving dish. When your uncle asks what your favorite thing to eat is, it feels like picking a seat on the T: There are definitely bad options, but really no good ones either.

In my opinion, as long as it takes a lot of time and hassle to make, then it counts. Why the struggle? I feel like putting a lot of work into Thanksgiving makes it special. Nobody really likes the traditional foods, but the fact that your mom took all day to make them really represents something authentic. When you are with your friends, keep the spirit alive by attempting some really complicated dish. Come to think of it, you should make something like paella. I feel like it fits the spirit of a food that takes forever and is 1,000 times better than stuffing.

Once you have the food locked down, the atmosphere is next. As a country, we are pretty derisive about Thanksgiving conversations. I totally get it. My family is all over, and unless we are talking about how cute our new daughter is, things can get pretty contentious. When we have Thanksgiving with our friends, we actually do the corny thing where we go around the table and say what we are thankful for. The first couple are awkward, but honestly, there are always a few that make me cry. With the craziness of travel over the holidays, Thanksgiving in Somerville provides a retrospective that we rarely get elsewhere.

The last thing is timing. Without question, the absolute latest you should start eating is 3 p.m. Why so early? I used to think it was insane that Thanksgiving dinner was actually a late lunch. But, after we hosted a few, I realized how important it is to make sure there is ample time for the post-meal lounge. Throw on football or a movie, get a puzzle going and really relax. Honestly, it is one of my favorite afternoons of the year.

Before I go, I do want to mention that if you find yourself in Somerville next Thursday and need a place to celebrate, my wife and I have a seat at our table for you. Happy Thanksgiving!