Too Early to Plan Thanksgiving?

As a child, I always loved those big turkey dinners lovingly prepared by my mom. The day included visits from my extended family on my dad's side who lived in California. I have fond memories of putting black olives on my fingertips and playing Tripoly in the den with my cousins. Cousin Dickie would usually arrive with some grand chess strategy he was certain would baffle me only to be frustrated by my simplistic strategy of just compounding small victories like taking a rook while losing only a pawn, sort of like the colonist volunteers pestering the best laid plans of a well-trained British army.

My mom would have started bringing together elements of the meal weeks in advance, but on Thanksgiving morning, she was up a couple of hours before dawn to stuff and cook the turkey, mash ten pounds of potatoes and prep the other dishes. The meal was always great, and whether at the kids' table or adult's table, the company made it even better.

In the 21st Century, however, we have become techno-logically advanced to the point where it's hard to even get the nuclear family to sit down for a meal without being interrupted by cell phones, texting and never ending internet interactions. Make no mistake, I am amazed by these modern miracles like Skype, iPhones, Blackberries and Facebook, but we no longer seem to know how to turn off technology ourselves, much less convince our children to do so. If we're fortunate enough to attract our kids to the dinner table, it's doubtful we'll see them for too long after the tables are cleared. They have places to go, things to do and people to see, whether online or in person.

What's a mother to do?

With all schools breaking for four days and an increasing number taking the entire week off, more families each year have discovered the joys of Thanksgiving cruises. The advantages are obvious, but let's start with one of the favorites for mothers: the clean-up is done by the ship's crew. You can get back to the traditions of building memories together as a family, and because the cell phones cost so much on the cruise ships, your kids and husbands will accept locking the phones in the stateroom safe. Then again, women aren't immune to the tech epidemic. I've seen mothers pushing their baby strollers along the walkway by the beach on a bright, sunny day, too engrossed in their texting to notice reality. We all can benefit from a technology break.

Better still, instead of a few disrupted minutes of eat and run, you will enjoy a series of gourmet meals where you'll discuss your wonderful adventures of the day. Then, you'll all remember this cruise for years as one of the highlights of your lives.

Why not plan a family reunion over Thanksgiving?

Here are three great possibilities:

Let your toes enjoy a grassy lawn at sea aboard the brand new, breath-taking Celebrity Eclipse cruising to St. Kitts, San Juan and St. Marten from Miami on 11/20/10, with balconies starting at $899 pp and Category 9 inside rooms across the hall from balconies for $779 pp. Click here for Eastern Caribbean details

Ice skate to the Mexican Riviera aboard the magnificent Royal Caribbean Mariner of the Seas cruising from Los Angeles on 11/21/10, with inside rooms starting at $699 and balconies from $949. Mexican Riviera Details

Shorter cruises are also available, like Celebrity Century cruising for five nights from Miami on Monday, 11/22/10, for Cozumel and Roatan, with rates starting at just $499 pp. Western Caribbean details