vote for the right sherry comes from Nejaime. "Spanish solera Sherries made with the Pedro Ximnez grape are less expensive than an eiswein. But if you've had a fair amount of wine with the meal, a good low-alcohol dessert wine would be a Boeri Moscato d'Asti from Italy. It has 5- to 6-percent alcohol and a wonderful flavor." If choosing your wine still sounds intimidating, consider Bonavista's bottom line. "With so many things on the table, and so many options, don't lose sight of the fact that you should drink what you like." -- B.A. Nilsson Camaraderie, Not Formality I had the worst Thanksgiving dinner of my life in 1986, the first year I worked as a reporter. A group of newsroom staffers was stranded without food during the day shift, and someone had the bright idea of picking up a Thanksgiving meal at the local diner. The turkey tasted like rancid Fryolator grease, and left me with a lasting impression of how depressing it was to miss a home-cooked holiday dinner. Fast-forward 15 years, and I was planning my first Thanksgiving in my own home. My husband and I had plenty of journalist friends who would be working that day. We sent out a general notice that dinner was on us, and that started our tradition of an "open table" for Thanksgiving. Last-minute guests were always welcome, and we rarely had a final head count even as we sat down to eat. We learned how to improvise and let