Honeymoons, Thanksgiving, and everything in between

This week we settle in for a post-Thanksgiving catch-up, sharing how wildly different our holidays looked — from Peter’s early family feast and multiple pie rounds to Aubrey’s first snowy Wisconsin Thanksgiving with a marathon dog show in the background. We recap Aubrey and Hayden’s dream honeymoon in Punta Cana (complete with a personal butler, swim-up suite, and unexpectedly eye-opening moments outside the resort), reflect on the realities of tourism, talk about the new food-pantry project Aubrey is helping with, and rant lovingly about overconsumption and skipped-over Thanksgiving vibes. It’s a cozy, thoughtful, everything-we’ve-been-up-to episode.Thanksgiving RecapWe compare how our Thanksgivings looked this year:Peter had family in town, ate early because Alex worked, and enjoyed the luxury of being done with dinner by 1:30pm — which meant pie three separate times throughout the day.Aubrey and Hayden had their first Wisconsin Thanksgiving together: quiet, cozy, just the two of them… and a national dog show that somehow ran for nine hours.Hayden cooked the full spread — turkey, stuffing, rolls, mashed potatoes — while Aubrey happily avoided the kitchen.The Costco pumpkin pie reigned supreme.Wisconsin immediately greeted them with bitter cold and a looming winter storm warning.Honeymoon in Punta CanaAubrey and Hayden finally took their honeymoon: a full week in the Dominican Republic at an adults-only all-inclusive.Thanks to deep research and a weird price quirk, they booked a VIP swim-up suite that was:Perfect weather the whole trip: 85° highs, 78° lows, light rain only at night.The butler sent daily WhatsApp newsletters with weather, restaurant schedules, and events.Resort activitiesParasailingMuddy ATV/buggy tourSwimming in a water caveTasting Dominican hot chocolate, coffee, and teaExploring local beachesAubrey would like to return and never come home again.The Realities of TourismThey learned resort employees often earn around $450/month, even in high-demand roles.Staff often work 12 days on, 2 days off, with housing just across the street.Resort guests are encouraged to leave TripAdvisor reviews for staff because bonuses and days off depend on it.Aubrey and Hayden tipped generously and left detailed positive reviews.We talk about how tourism helps but also doesn’t necessarily feed the real local economy.What’s New at HomeAubrey is settling back into Wisconsin winter and starting her new job.Peter’s work has been the usual year-end chaos: med students, residents, OR days, and holiday-season busyness.He looks forward to January even though January hasn’t really slowed down in recent years.Aubrey’s New Unpaid JobAubrey is now the social media manager for her best friend’s mobile food pantry in Salt Lake.The pantry serves communities that can’t easily get to traditional food banks.Winter increases needs dramatically.Aubrey’s been making Canva graphics, Reels/TikToks, and growing the project’s presence.Shameless plug: Instagram → freefoodtruck.slcRethinking Consumption & the HolidaysAubrey has been reflecting on:VolunteeringSpending money intentionallyAvoiding overconsumption culture — especially around the holidaysDonating or supporting causes rather than buying random giftsShe shares love for:The Hank & John Green–run Good StoreAwesome Socks Club subscriptions that funnel profits into maternal health in Sierra LeoneCoffee/tea subscriptions funding TB researchPeter’s Mini-Rant on ThanksgivingWe revisit the idea (from Middle of Culture) that Thanksgiving has meaning but gets ignored since it can’t be easily commercialized.Halloween and Christmas dominate because they’re more profitable.Black Friday is a shadow of itself — 30% off is now considered a “deal.”Wrapping UpWe’re both getting back into routines after travel.Aubrey is preparing for a long winter of hibernation.Peter encourages light exposure (even artificial) to survive seasonal darkness.