the buzz log

Heads up: Thanksgiving falls on Nov. 27, which means you have less than two weeks to prepare.

If you accept the premise that the occasion is a time for celebrating family and not dysfunction, then you might be disheartened to know that cumulative searches for the occasion—from turkeys to Thanksgiving prayers—are 44% lower than the same time period last year.

Considering how fired up citizens have been about the election year, that's not a good sign for America's holiday. Not that the day isn't respectably ensconced in the top 750 searches on Yahoo!. Still, the comparatively lackluster interest might show lingering election fatigue. More likely, an unstable economy may force travelers to stay homebound, away from the family hearth, and cut down on the homestead festivities. Whatever the reasons, people are especially lagging in researching "thanksgiving recipes"  and "thanksgiving dish" online (though good progress is being made on  "thanksgiving side dishes" and "thanksgiving recipes desserts" searches).

My fellow Americans, it's time to buck up and jump back into the fray. Despite reports that the Thanksgiving menu may cost a wee bit more, there are red-blooded men and women out there right now (well, usually women) who've been to get their ducks in a row. Actually, make that turducken (+77%, past 7 days), honey-baked ham (+93%) and Butterball turkeys (+857%). (In case you mistakenly filed it away as a bad horror movie, turducken combines a turkey, duck and chicken in one triple-carnivorous delight, and understandably requires advance orders.)

As for the rest of the menu, lookups for seasonal mainstays like "sweet potato recipes," "sweet potato pie," "deviled egg recipe," and "turkey stuffing" have risen in the past seven days. If that doesn't give you inspiration, Esquire pulled out 14 recipes from the '80s, like Jimmy Carter Plains Special Cheese Ring and Nancy Reagan's Persimmon Pudding. (And, per Fox News, Obama homage can be paid by having a side dish of chili or pumpkin pie.)

Don't forget the kids. Some young'uns have been working on crafts, learning about the "first thanksgiving" and its first host, Squanto. Even if you're not hosting, you still may need to put your turkey game-face on: Someone out there is making "thanksgiving invitations" and preparing a night of prayer and songs. (Y'know, like "Over the River and Through the Wood," and, um, lots more.)

The most compelling reason to prep for Thanksgiving now: The holiday comes late this year, and leaves only a few scant weeks to gird up for a double dose of Hanukkah (Dec. 21) and Christmas. Some holiday overachievers have jumped ahead in search of "santa tracker," suggestions for a "christmas wish list" and "ugly christmas sweaters"—for the theme party, of course. At least maybe you can bow out of the white elephant fruitcake exchange.