Good News! It's Thanksgiving time!

I absolutely adore Thanksgiving and it just might be my favorite holiday. I love the concept of gathering with loved ones and expressing gratitude for all that you have. The smell that infuses the house while all the delicious goodies are cooking just warms my heart and gets me so excited for the feast that will occur later. The anticipation over which floats and balloons will be present at the parade, and which dog is going to win the dog show competition. And I can’t forget to mention the fun of watching the traditional football games! It truly is the best day ever. Here are my plans for how I am going to celebrate the holiday. 

Every year, my mom and I wake up early and start our day with a nice cup of coffee and a small breakfast. We usually have some last minute cooking and baking to do before our festivities begin. We always try to finish before the parade begins, but we never do. It’s a constant dash between the kitchen and the TV so that we make sure we don’t miss a single second of the parade! After the parade and the dog show, we start getting ready to head over to my grandparents house. We have to stuff our car with lots of fun goodies, and most of the time we make it in one trip. Thank goodness my grandparents live very close by! It truly is such a fun time and we are always so excited to head on over! 

My family’s house is honestly filled with so much joy and laughter. From the moment you walk in, you are greeted with nothing but friendliness and love. This is evident in how we often have over people who were not able to see their family for Thanksgiving. We have a lot of fun and are just constantly joking around. I am also so blessed to say that I was born into a family of cooks and bakers, because everything is just out of this world delicious. I am in charge of Mac and Cheese and not to toot my own horn but my recipe is amazing! My mom makes the best sweet potato casserole known to man, my aunt’s brussels sprouts make any vegetable hater a convert, and my grandpa’s mashed potatoes are actually famous. I love to bake way more than I enjoy cooking so I adore getting to bake for the holidays. I make a great pumpkin pie while my mom bakes a wonderful thing she likes to call “cookie bars.” They are graham cracker crusted cookies with coconut and chocolate. Truly indescribable. We always go around the table and say what we’re grateful for and say grace, followed by the best part - digging in! 

After we’re all stuffed we sit by the TV and we watch football. We’re big football fans and we just lay and lounge away that stuffed feeling. We eventually somehow find the ability to get up, say our goodbyes, and head home. After we create a leftover plate, of course! 

Thanksgiving truly is such a magic holiday. This is how I’ll be spending mine. How does Thanksgiving look in your family?