my first no-turkey day

so this is going to be my first thanksgiving as a vegetarian, and it's a funny thing, still talking to everybody about their upcoming "turkey-day." in all honesty, even though i won't be eating any of the basted, stuffed, & browned poultry, i think that it would be weird to have a thanksgiving meal without a turkey. i remember a few years ago when we were planning on having a small thanksgiving, my mom suggested that we not have a turkey at all, since my sister is a vegetarian and i rarely ate turkey anyway. both of us convinced her that it just wouldn't be the same without turkey on turkey day, and so we had one!
now, if it were only tim & i for the holiday, it would definitely be meat-free. it could be a partial throw-back to the way that this celebratory day used to be - no turkeys at all (ducks, geese, cod & lobster were more prevalent in the 1600's). but when there's other family involved (which is more fun anyway) the fowl is the centerpiece - the star of the show.
did you know that benjamin franklin wanted the turkey to be the national bird instead of the bald eagle? could you imagine how different this day might be if we didn't go searching for the biggest cheapest butterball each november because we used it instead as a display of our country's freedom? i wonder if the skin that hangs off the beak (called a snood) would have some sort of special symbolism? nah... can't imagine that.
looking forward to a great holiday tomorrow - happy thanksgiving to all, turkey or not!