Happy Thanksgiving!

Hi everyone! Happy Thanksgiving! I can’t believe it’s already (almost) here! I am so excited because Thanksgiving has always been my absolute favorite holiday. Over the years, my family and I have come up with and learned about a lot fun and creative Thanksgiving traditions! So I thought I'd share a few...

Watching the Macy’s Day Parade

I know it seems cheesy and tacky, but I promise it’s actually so fun and worthwhile to watch! There’s nothing like seeing all the crazy balloons, floats, marching bands, and dancers parade around the lively streets of New York City. I’ve watched it every year since I was really little (the best coverage is on NBC from 9am-noon!) and it never gets old. It’s best enjoyed while sitting on the couch with a big fuzzy blanket, just as the first smells of delicious food start to waft all over the house...

Drinking Hot Apple Cider

Grab a mug, boil some water, and dump in a packet of apple cider mix... or pour fresh apple cider into a pot and heat it on the stove - that way you can put a lid on it and the cider stays warm so you can keep going back for more! Hot apple cider is especially delicious accompanied by a cinnamon stick, your favorite book, and a roaring fire. :)

Writing My Thank You Notes

This is my favorite tradition that my family does every year! We set out a pretty bowl in a central location in our house, then cut out slips of paper and leave out a pile of colorful pens. All throughout the day, everyone writes various things that they are thankful for on the slips of paper and tosses them in the bowl. At Thanksgiving dinner, we pass around the bowl and have everyone at the table take turns reading what people have written on the slips. It’s really fun and memorable! (Also, the leftover slips at the end of dinner make a great starting point for a collage or poem... :)

Baking!

My family’s philosophy is that you can NEVER have too many desserts! We always stick with all our traditional Thanksgiving desserts (pumpkin pie, apple tart, banana cream pie, etc.), but we also like to try making something new every year. Even if it doesn’t turn out perfectly, it’s still so fun (and a great excuse to sneak little bites of chocolate or frosting!). For some awesome Thanksgiving dessert recipes, visit http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes-and-cooking/best-thanksgiving-dessert-recipes/pictures/index.html

Making Place-Cards

My family also always puts out place cards for Thanksgiving dinner. It makes the dinner seem just a little more special and fancy! There are so many creative ways to make place cards- here are a few cute ideas I’ve come across: bake pumpkin-shaped sugar cookies and pipe people’s names in frosting, type out names in a fancy script (or handwrite them if you’re good at cursive!) and glue them onto blank place-cards or (stripe-side-down) folded index cards, make leaf rubbings onto wax paper with brown/red/orange crayons and write names with a Sharpie... 

I hope you all have a fantastic Thanksgiving and an awesome break!!!! 

- Sophie :)