It’s Thanksgiving week which has be feeling thankful for each of you. Thank you for reading. Thank you for commenting. Thank you for being a part of this community.
I hope you know how valuable you are to me, because grateful is only the tip of the iceberg of the depth of my love. Your support means the world.
Friendsgiving
Thanksgiving week is one of my faves. It’s didn’t used to be. When I was growing up, Thanksgiving was kind of a meh holiday. I think it’s because, as a kid, I wasn’t a big fan of those starchy comfort foods like mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potatoes, stuffing or green bean casserole. Turkey was only so-so and cranberry sauce was okay, but a couple of tablespoons was more than enough….and you all know how I feel about pumpkin pie (see Pumpkin Spice “rant” here).
Inevitably, I would eat a lot of rolls and a lot of other kinds of pie with mounds of whipped topping. I sat around all day watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade and then football, so I had a sufficient carb hangover after it was all said and done and I remember how brutal the day-after-thanksgiving morning basketball practice would be. The coaches would make us run and run and run.
Now, as an adult, I LOVE Thanksgiving. It’s right up there on my list of favorite holidays. I think it’s because the heart of Thanksgiving is giving thanks – gratitude – which is a wonderful way to position your heart before the consumerism of Christmas kicks in. Thanksgiving contains all the family and yummy food without any of the gift-buying stress. Fall-lelujah!
But, one of my very favorite traditions is celebrating Thanksgiving with friends. Friends + Thanksgiving = Friendsgiving. I wrote a post all about Friendsgiving for Des Moines Moms Blog last week and, in case you missed it, here’s a link. Lots ways to host a Friendsgiving from a super elaborate turkey and the works to a low-key pie night, and it’s not too late to host one yet this year. Just call it Thanksmas and host it in December!
Black Friday
Another big day is coming up this week: Black Friday. So, while I wouldn’t call myself a Black Friday veteran, I did do a little research and came up with eight Tips & Tricks to make your Black Friday shopping fun and successful. You can listen to those Tips & Tricks + more about Friendsgiving in this week’s Straight From The Heartland Podcast (listen here or below).
I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday week whether that’s spent with family OR friends, at home OR at the mall. And let your motto be: Gather together. Give thanks. Buy gifts.
Happy Thanksgiving!
