Things I LOVE About Thanksgiving!

Things I LOVE About Thanksgiving!

Anyone else feel that this year’s Thanksgiving is taking so long to get here? I have had this conversation with so many people it is mildly funny. I am not sure what it is about this year in particular. I have never been a person to rush Christmas, but I think since we had such an early snow in my area (South Dakota) it feels like this holiday is taking forever to get here!

I did start decorating the outside of my house yesterday for Christmas, but in a climate like mine you have to take advantage of the nice weather while we have it. However, in an effort to try not to skip Thanksgiving and move right to Christmas, I thought it might be fun to write up a quick little post about my favorite Thanksgiving things.

SO here you are, in no particular order, Things I LOVE About Thanksgiving:

1.My Mantle

Don’t mind the hot pink tablet in the side bookshelf, someone is grounded from it right now. Sort of throws off my decor style a bit.

I am not a decorator. I mean I try, but it is not something I feel I am particularly good at or actually enjoy doing. However, I really feel over the last 3 years in this house I have been able to collect enough mantle items to really bring together something I feel might be the best I will ever get at decorating. I really feel the key to making this whole area come together lies with the wreath. It’s big, over the top, but super cute and decorative. The banner also, just makes the whole area seem more inviting.

And let’s not forget the sign… which if you want one like this for your own don’t forget to follow my Easy DIY Word Sign tutorial.

2. Scented Candles

Source: https://bit.ly/2rjqzrk

About the minute it turns September 1st, I feel like I am breaking out all fall candles I might have left over from the year previous. This “leaves” one in particular is one of my favs from Bath & Bodyworks. Unfortunately, I burned all of my fall candles up this year and the only thing they had left in store was really sweet fall scents or Christmas. Again, rushing Christmas this year, I purchased a Mahogany Balsam and you know what– I don’t feel the least bit of guilty about it!

3. The Clothes

Source: https://etsy.me/2OgVXQg
Source: Modcloth.com

The clothes?!? I know what you are thinking, I mean we all pretty much have some sort of Christmas outfit but how many of you have a Thanksgiving one? I am loving this new trend of boutiques carrying Thanksgiving themed clothes. I currently only have two real outfits but I am sure to break them out once or twice during the month of November. The top one is not the exact shirt I own, but pretty darn close. I think every time I wear it someone usually comments to me how much they like my shirt. Honestly too, I wear it year round. I mean who doesn’t want to be Thankful YEAR ROUND??

The second image of the harvest dress is one I stumbled on at Modcloth.com. I love how unique their clothes are and the cut of the dress I think is flattering on every woman. This is usually my go to Thanksgiving dress I wear to church.

4. The School Projects

I love that my kids are still at the ages where they bring home cute crafts of things they are grateful for. They are usually really cute to see their answers but also it makes me feel like I might be winning at this parenting game ( i.e., you know raising a good person.)

5. The Food

Obviously, you can’t talk about Thanksgiving without mentioning the food. I luckily over the years have saved all my recipes in one word document so it’s really easy for me print it out and get to cooking. My favorite recipes for sure are the following:

Mom’s Sweet Potato Casserole (see recipe in link)

Cranberry Sauce (see my recipe below)

Cranberry Sauce

Fail Proof Cranberry Sauce

  • 12 oz fresh cranberries
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp orange zest
  • 1/2 orange, juice only
  • 2 tbsp water
  1. Empty a 12-ounce bag of fresh or frozen cranberries into a saucepan and transfer 1/2 cup to a small bowl.

  2. Add 3/4 to 1 cup sugar, orange zest & juice and 2 tablespoons water to the pan and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves and the cranberries are soft, about 10 minutes.

  3. Increase the heat to medium and cook until the cranberries burst, about 12 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the reserved cranberries.

  4. Add sugar, salt and pepper to taste and cool to room temperature before serving.

and Escalloped Corn

Well that’s it! There are so many things I am thankful for this year, but my short little list of five are the most tangible items I could think of. I hope it goes without saying, but I am most grateful for the wonderful life I have. I get to share my life with my happy & healthy friends/family and all my readers like you! Wishing you a wonderful holiday filled with the warmth and happiness of the season. Thanks for reading our little blog we have here, Happy Thanksgiving!