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Last week, I talked about the pains of hosting my first Thanksgiving dinner. Well, disappointment has already set in. My brother and his family are not making the trip to Pennsylvania for Thanksgiving. My sister-in-law is heading back to work from her maternity leave at the beginning of November and can't get the extra time off to travel.
To say I was disappointed would put it mildly. There may have been some tears shed after I found out that they weren't coming. I had plans! I wanted everything to be special! And now it isn't going to happen.
Instead, they will be going to my mom's house the weekend before Thanksgiving. I guess we will be celebrating a little early this year.
My disappointment wasn't stemming from the fact that I wasn't going to be able to host Thanksgiving. Just like many families who live far a part, we can't always spend the actual holiday together. Schedules conflict. Traveling, especially holiday traveling, is difficult and tiresome. The holidays don't feel the same when they are celebrated at a different time.
I was spoiled growing up in that we didn't travel during the holidays. We were always able to eat Thanksgiving dinner on Thanksgiving and open Christmas presents on Christmas. Now that my brother and I are older and live hundreds of miles apart, it is harder to do that. And my brother needs to spend time with his in-laws during the holidays, as well. It isn't fair for them to sacrifice their family time, either. But it is hard not to be jealous when they live in the same area and can be a part of their everyday lives if they choose.
While the disappointment is still there, I need to remember that I am thankful for my family everyday and not just on the fourth Thursday in November. Whether my family is all in one geographic location or in three different places, I hope they are making wonderful holiday memories.
As I mentioned in a previous post, I am hosting my first Thanksgiving this year. Although it is only for my mom, brother, sister-in-law and niece, I want everything to go perfectly. I want everyone to have a good time and for it to be a memorable experience, especially since it is my niece's first Thanksgiving.
My kitchen counter space is incredibly small. My lack of space is definitely going to make cooking lots of food an issue. My mom will help with everything, but their may be some testy moments because there just isn't a lot of space to spread out. I am definitely not going to cook a full turkey. Too much food for too few people. That is one of the challenges of cooking a big dinner for a few people. There is always tons of food leftover!
Besides cooking plans, I have sleeping arrangements to be concerned about. My mom is actually contemplating putting my brother and his family up in a hotel since they will have my niece, Brynley, with them. In addition to the three of them, my mom and and her dog will be staying with me and my dog. So that is 4 adults, 2 dogs and one baby in a 2 bedroom apartment - a lot of people in a small space.
No matter what happens over the Thanksgiving holiday, I am looking forward to being all together. We haven't been together as a family since June and that was before my beautiful niece was born.
A lot of people stress out about making sure everything is perfect, and I am sure I will fall into that category too. But next year, no one will care how perfect the centerpiece was or if dinner was served on time. They will remember who they spent the day with. Hopefully, it will be an enjoyable time.
Last week, I shared how I wanted my family to know how thankful I am for their part in my life. This week, I am sharing how I am intending on doing that.
A long, long time ago, more like 10 or 11 years ago, I was really into scrapbooking, stamping, making my own cards and things like that. Then I got out of it because I didn't have the time, I moved away, etc. My mom even sold all of my stuff for me. I didn't think I would ever need it again. WRONG!
This summer when I made the invitations to my sister-in-law's baby shower, the bug bit me again. But this time, I had no supplies. I was off to Michaels, Joann and a local stamp store to buy all new ink pads, paper, paper cutter, punch cutters so I could make these invitations.
I haven't made any cards since, but to remedy that, I want to make cards for each of my family members to include by their plates for Thanksgiving, even my not-quite-two month old niece. I bought my paper and accessory supplies this weekend, but if I don't start working on those cards now, I won't get them done in time. I am what they call a procrastinator.
In writing these cards, I want my family to know that I don't appreciate them just because they are family and that is what families are supposed to do. I want them to know that I appreciate the things they do even if they don't realize they are doing it. How just by being who they are, I am thankful for their part in influencing my life.
Two years ago, I lost my dad the Friday before Thanksgiving. And with Thanksgiving, those memories come back because we had to jump right in our first holiday season without my dad. Unfortunately, death has a way of putting things into perspective that would never have been seen otherwise. While death isn't a fun thing to think about, it is a part of life and I don't know what the next day, week or year will hold for me or my family. But I never want them to doubt how I feel about them.
How have you shared your thankfulness for the special people in your life?
Is anyone else as shocked as I am that Thanksgiving is next month?!? Where has the year gone?
This year will be my first year hosting Thanksgiving. I am actually really excited about it. This is also my niece's first Thanksgiving. Even though she won't remember it, I want it to be extra special for everyone. For me, Thanksgiving is about togetherness. There happens to be delicious food, too!
Because my extended family is large and very extended, it was usually just my immediate family - dad, mom, brother - for Thanksgiving dinner when we were young. As a family of four, we didn't have too many solid traditions. We did the whole turkey and stuffing thing, but it wasn't formal. We varied our routine a couple of times and celebrated the holiday with other families, but it was never the same. My brother and I still complain about some bad stuffing we had close to 20 years ago. Apparently, we do not like change and are very picky about our stuffing.
As my brother and I got into high school, my parents started inviting other families over for dessert and munchies later in the evening on Thanksgiving Day. It became a tradition. We looked forward to spending time with our friends. Unfortunately, we haven't continued it as my brother and I moved out on our own.
Since the festivities will be at my house this year, I am planning on incorporating some of the same things that we always do, like the stuffing, but also put my own spin on things - make my own traditions. I want everyone to know why I am thankful for them. I will be sharing how I am going to do that in the coming weeks.
What are your Thanksgiving traditions?
