Thanksgiving is a favorite time of year for many people- I know I enjoy it. Spending time with people you love (or at least like), eating lots of food, and celebrating the culmination of fall- what’s not to like? I was reflecting on some of the things we do for Thanksgiving each year and I wanted to share some of my favorites.

Each year, I wait for Black Friday, which has a very close relationship with Thanksgiving, to order my Christmas cards. I design them myself (I can adjust this year’s design for you!) and then order them online.  For the last couple of years, I’ve been ordering them from Sam’s Club (I’m a Costco girl, but my parents both have Sam’s Memberships). Why? They are SO dang inexpensive! You can’t beat 100 cards for $15, and they give you the whole weekend to order them…so you may still have time for this year. They do a pretty good job and they include envelopes. I love sending out Christmas cards. One of my favorite Christmas memories (& still today!) is opening Christmas cards that arrive all through the month of December. I even love getting them in January. If you’re on the fence about sending Christmas cards, know that I love them and appreciate the work you put into them.

My next favorite is a Thanksgiving morning tradition- it’s Beignets & Bellinis, which is a pretty sweet one (pun intended). On Thanksgiving Eve, we make beignet dough, which comes together pretty quickly…especially after you’ve had a some wine. The dough likes to chill for a relatively long time, so overnight works best. In the morning, we put on the Macy’s Parade, and make our beignets as we sip bellinis. It’s a family favorite and seems to spread as people hear about it. Look for a fall post in 2017 with my recipes for both and some lessons learned advice!

The last tradition on my list is one that only happens every other year (when we’re with my husband’s family): The Turkey Bowl. It’s a long-standing tradition in my husband’s family to play a Thanksgiving morning touch football game. The Turkey Bowl has been going on for at least 50 years and some of the original people play- although most of the big deal players are a bit younger now. It’s so fun to get together with a teensy bit of competition, for fun and exercise before the (huge) tasty meal.

It’s wonderful to reflect on what I love about Thanksgiving, because as much as I love Christmas, I don’t decorate until after Thanksgiving. I think it’s important that we keep the focus on gratitude and being thankful for all of the blessings we’ve been given.  It’s nice to realize that Thanksgiving is such a (different) wonderful time of the year.  Although I know I can’t wait to get the Christmas trees up.

What are your favorite Thanksgiving traditions?