Auditions, and concerts, and holidays, oh, my!

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. My family's tradition is to gather at my Aunt's house near Portland, ME, Wednesday through Saturday. It is a feast of food and good company and music and stimulating conversation and togetherness.

I also dread Thanksgiving a little. Not the holiday itself, but the end of the holiday, which signifies all kinds of madness in my life. On top of the madness we all experience: holiday parties, crowds of people, shopping, eating way too much rich food, stressing about menus and travel plans, etcetera, I usually have several auditions, and multiple holiday concerts in the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

I used to fall into a deep depression sometime during or immediately after that time. The torpor and misery would hang around until mid-April, or thereabouts, and it happened every winter without fail. In recent years, with therapy, lifestyle management, and yes, appropriate pharmaceuticals, I haven't had this post-holiday fog, but I still worry that it might return one day.

I leave for Thanksgiving in one week. I'm less worried about the potential for despair this year, which gives me hope that I'll be able to enjoy the holiday season more than in past years.

Anyone want to share any favorite recipes?