Holiday travel is so much work.

I’m not traveling for Thanksgiving this year, but I know some people who are.

In fact, one of our news reporters already jetted off to New England late last week with friends.

She’s young. Somehow, she might even enjoy the crowds in airports and strange cities.

Not me. I’m much happier staying home and cooking my own bird. I’m not even going home to Johnstown this year. I visited my parents there a couple of weeks ago. And I plan to see them again around Christmas, God willing. So rather than fight traffic and what could be snow-covered roads this week, we’ll talk by telephone come Thursday and email pictures back and forth.

Yes, of course, Mom and Dad are welcome to come here for Thanksgiving, but they, too, seem to prefer avoiding all the holiday travel stresses.

Few of us don’t already have enough stress in our lives. That’s why I take shortcuts when I can.

As I age, I’ve learned where I can cut corners and where I shouldn’t. For instance, I’ve already pre-ordered the holiday pies from a local bakery. If I’m being honest, I know my sons much prefer store-bought French Silk pie than homemade pumpkin pie, anyway.

And like many, many Ohioans, I’ll probably also resort to Brier Hill pizza Wednesday night. No need to do heavy-duty cooking two days in a row, right?

Plus, I most certainly still will be recovering from what is far-and-away the busiest work week in our newsroom each year (yes, even busier than Election night, and that’s saying a lot). That’s because this is the week when we put out eight newspapers instead of the usual seven. It’s Tuesday when we produce two sets of newspapers in one day.

Why, you’re probably wondering, would we do that?

It’s simple. It is so readers like you can relax on Thanksgiving Day and not have to run out to try to find a store that is open on the holiday where you could pick up the Thanksgiving Day newspaper. Instead, you can buy Thursday’s holiday newspaper, complete with news and sports features, ads, classifieds and inserts, one day early.

This tradition of ours allows shoppers to have a full day to plot Black Friday shopping plans while the turkey is roasting — or after the French Silk pie, when the meal is digesting.

You see, late on Tuesday evening, after we’ve put to bed the Wednesday newspapers, we immediately get started on producing the Thursday newspapers, taking our newsroom staff into the wee hours of Wednesday morning.

These Thanksgiving Day “Early Bird” editions will be completed and stuffed with all the Thanksgiving Day advertisements in time to arrive on news stands by 2 p.m. Wednesday afternoon.

I urge you to plan now to track down your “Early Bird” copy on the way home from work Wednesday (or as you head out for your Brier Hill pizza Wednesday night). The list of news stand locations where it will be available is on Page B7 of today’s newspaper.

Of course, we will update and refresh the news, sports and even lottery numbers on Wednesday night and reprint the Thanksgiving Day paper with all the latest information for those of you who get the newspaper delivered Thursday morning, or for those of you who still prefer to go out in the morning to pick up the paper on the news stand, even on the holidays.

Either way, bargain hunters will get all the same sales flyers and advertisements.

And then, after this really busy week is all done, we all can sigh and relax — but not for too long!

I, for one, am scheduled to head back to the office on Friday.

And then, it won’t be long until we all get busy untangling Christmas lights, and baking cookies, and wrapping gifts, and mailing greeting cards, and making travel plans and everything else that comes with this hectic season.

Just, please, don’t get too stressed.

Have a safe and blessed Thanksgiving!

Linert is editor of the Tribune Chronicle and The Vindicator.

blinert@tribtoday.com