Our Thanksgiving Traditions

Before our family moved from Texas to Florida (we moved in November 2010) we had the usual family tradition of cooking a big meal, getting all gussied up, stressing out over cooking and making sure everything was perfect. For our first Thanksgiving in Florida my Aunt Arrie and my brother Evan came to join us. We loved having them! For our second Thanksgiving we didn't travel and we didn't have any visitors. I made the meal, but it was smaller and not too much work, we got dressed up for ourselves and did the whole shebang at our house with just the five of us. On our third one I still cooked a small traditional meal but we decided it was dumb to get dressed up with just the five of us (no visitors) and after our meal we took the kids to see a movie. It was a revelation for us! Why does Thanksgiving have to be so formal?! Isn't the point to reflect about what you're grateful for  and spend time with those you love?

The next Thanksgiving (2013) we had moved back to Texas and Chad had been hired with Boston Market. His company has a Thanksgiving banquet meal. This is a pre-made (all cooked very fresh and then refrigerated, never frozen) that you pick up the week of Thanksgiving, put in your fridge and just re-heat for your holiday meal. The turkey takes two hours to heat up and the sides take much less time than that. It is so delicious and I don't have to worry about cooking it long enough or too long, it is perfect! Plus the cost is much less than me cooking the meal myself, even when it is just for the five of us. I still make a couple of sides that Chad grew up eating with his family (mainly yams with marshmallows) but I get to sit back, relax WITH my family and enjoy the day. We have made it a point in our household to remove the formality out of Thanksgiving. We (almost always) don't travel. We sometimes invite a few close friends (but if they have plans it doesn't hurt our feelings at all). We do NOT dress up. We heat up the meal when we feel like we'll be hungry for dinner soon, no real planning on what time we will eat. The adults have a couple of drinks. We watch football. We play games with our kids. During our meal we ask our kids what they're most thankful for. We make a choice to really be together and throw out the window "what we're supposed to do". It makes us a closer and happier family and I am SO glad we created our own , relaxed traditions. We're trying to show our kids that when they are grown and have their own families it is ok to do what they like the most and makes them happy no matter what others say. But I do admit that I hope they will want to spend the holidays with family and be informal with us ;)

Last year we traveled for the first Thanksgiving in years to spend time with family on Chad's side and a little time with family on my side. We didn't get fancy but we got much dressier than we would have at home. It was nice to spend time with others. Chad volunteered at a Houston Boston Market (I couldn't go because we had spent the night at my Grandmother's house and I wasn't about to ask her to chase my three children around once they woke up). We loved seeing family on a day where people try the hardest to be around family, but we're happy to get back to our own way of things this year.

Now I do have a little disclaimer because Chad and I do get dressed up for part of the day. It is very early so that Chad and I can go volunteer and help out at the Austin Boston Market. Thanksgiving (the whole holiday season really) is the company's "super bowl". It is their busiest time of year by far. The Chief's and Executives of the company make a choice to help out at the restaurants to set an example and show the store employees and customers how thankful they are for all of their hard work and business. We help for a few hours early in the morning doing whatever they need the most help with. We get home and immediately get our "house clothes" back on and relax the entire rest of the day.

Chad's best friend, Dave, moved back to the Austin area from Pittsburg this past week. He is very close to our family. He is surprising our kids by spending Thanksgiving with us, our kids have no idea that he has moved back. It's going to be a really great day!

I hope each of you have a great Thanksgiving doing what makes you happy! From our family to yours, Happy Happy Thanksgiving!!

Until next time, count your blessings! :)

Sara