How to Thrive at Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is, has been, and will always be MY FAVORITE HOLIDAY. There is no stress of finding the perfect gift or getting the decorations up with enough time to enjoy them, just good ‘ol eating, drinking, and laughing. That to me is what Thanksgiving is all about. Enjoying food, family and friends.
When I was growing up we would go to NYC and have a ‘Puerto Rican Thanksgiving’ with my dad’s family. That meant no mashed potatoes or green bean casserole, but the most delicious rice and beans and fried plantains. Oh, I’m drooling now. For the past 5 years I have taken over hosting the holiday and while I have failed my grandmother at learning how to cook rice and beans, I do make a mean turkey in a cooking bag with the same spice mixture she uses. I’m still working on getting rice and beans to our celebration (yes, I’m talking to you Margaret :) )
But while yes, the food is the star of the show on this particular holiday, I have a few tips to help you to thrive on this Thanksgiving.
Plan Ahead. Around the holidays people’s patience hit an all time low and crowds hit an all time high. Planning either your menu, your outfit, or your tablescapes can really decrease the stress and allow you to enjoy the day! However, if last minute is your thing, my best advice is- don’t tell them if it was last minute! No one will notice if your table it isn’t ‘perfect’ or if the store ran out of an ingredient!
Go with the flow… flowy clothes! For a holiday that is centered around eating, being comfy AND chic is key! I love a swing dress or a pair of dressy joggers! I always like to dress for a warm house because after a few glasses of wine in a house with a lot of people and a constantly running oven, it can get warm! Check out some of my thanksgiving outfit options here! (Click the image to take you to the direct site to purchase if you still haven’t planed your outfit yet!)
Start a new tradition. I love a tradition. For me, it gives me something to look forward to each year, something unique to my family, and something I can look back on and cherish. Each year on Thanksgiving morning (after the turkey is in the oven and OF COURSE after the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade) my hubs and I take our quad out in the woods for a ride. Its a way for us to reset and have a little fun before the crazy sets in. A tradition can be as simple as you take the same picture in the same spot every year, or it can be a dish that your grandmother used to make, whatever it is, it is special to you.
Be Thankful. Recently I had a meeting in an office building and there was a sign up on the wall that said, “Everyone has SOMETHING to be thankful for.” That sign really resonated with me because we are all going through our own sh*t, we are all just trying to survive. Instagram can make it look otherwise, but trust that each person out there has something of their own they are trying to get through, but Thanksgiving is a time to press the reset button, to look around, and open your eyes and appreciate even the smallest things. Optimism is a powerful tool and thinking about what you have to be thankful for can really change a mindset. For the person that may be reading this and is really struggling on what they are thankful for, maybe think smaller… have great hair or a really great butt? Be thankful for that, because we ALL have SOMETHING to be thankful for.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
xo, Ashley
