KSLA News 12 Shreveport, Louisiana |Bad economy alters Thanksgiving plans

Bad economy alters Thanksgiving plans

By Ben Wolf – bio|email

SHREVEPORT, LA (KSLA) – Many people in the Ark-La-Tex say their Thanksgiving tables won't be as full as years past.
Travel officials expect more people hopping in their cars and driving than last year, but still a lot less than two years ago – before the economy started to take a nose dive.
But tightening the budget isn't just about highways and airports.
Keithville resident Barbara Woodall is cutting back this Thanksgiving.
Instead of a turkey and a ham, she's only cooking a bird.
And forget about pecan pie.
"The pecans are expensive.  Probably don't need them," said Keithville resident Barbara Woodall.
Plenty of Shreveport shoppers told us the same thing: their wallets aren't full and their Thanksgiving table won't be either.
That goes for the number of people who sit around the table too.
Many of the people we talked to say that their relatives from Oklahoma City, Dallas, or Springfield, Missouri won't be driving to the Ark-La-Tex for this Thanksgiving.
Air travel is no different.
Angela Brown usually has family fly in from California.
They won't this year.
They'll have to gobble up their turkey out on the west coast.
"Less family members are coming home for the holidays," said Angela Brown.
In other words, make the most of what you have.
Mary O'neal looks at things from a different perspective."I'm not participating in the recession.  I've got a God that serves me so I'm going on as I always would," she said.That slight increase in road travel is likely due to an expected few hundred thousand fewer airline passengers this weekend.

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