Thanksgiving – My Favorite Holiday

When asked what your favorite holiday is, I am sure most would answer the obvious, Christmas. However, I tend to answer differently; I would say Thanksgiving in an instant. To me Thanksgiving is a holiday that is much more focused on family and brining everyone to celebrate with food, fun, and conversation. Yes the preparation the day before and the day of is hectic for the host and hostess, but once everyone is seated at the table, the atmosphere is relaxed, fun, and an overall great time of the year. No one expects gifts; they just expect good food and spending quality time together.

I love to host Thanksgiving at my house. There is something about the smell of a turkey roasting in the oven all day. Yes the kitchen gets chaotic, but the end result is well worth the effort. Plus, the leftovers stay at home for extra meals worth of Thanksgiving food and fresh turkey sandwiches for lunch for the rest of the weekend. I admit it; I love the turkey sandwiches and will eat them until the turkey is gone!

This year, I will not be hosting Thanksgiving. We will be celebrating at my parent’s house. My Dad’s birthday also falls on Thanksgiving this year, so we are able to celebrate with him on the same day. I am responsible for the appetizers, which I already have some ideas I want to try like these Bacon Cheddar Pinwheels! I will still buy a turkey this year when the prices cannot be beat. We will just roast ours on another day and have our own “mini” Thanksgiving.

We normally eat out Thanksgiving dinner around 2 pm. We spend time going around the table telling something that we are thankful for this year! We then say Grace as a family before digging into our feast. Our feast consists of turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing (both inside and outside of the bird), green bean casserole, rolls with turkey shaped butter, and the traditional cranberry sauce (I prefer it right out of the can with the lines on it)! After dinner, the women normally do the dishes and the men watch some football. The kids run off and play. Dessert is served later in the evening and this year it will be birthday cake and ice cream for my Dad! We normally end the evening with some games or a heated competition on the Wii. Whatever is done, we are together as a family and that is all that matters.

I hope everyone has a blessed Thanksgiving and is able to spend it with family and friends and enjoy a day of great food, conversation, and fun!

Need some Thanksgiving meal ideas?  Check out the post on Family Balance Sheet on 30 Thanksgiving Meal Ideas to Feast On!  She was nice enough to link to one of my recipes!