A Simple Tip to a Successful Thanksgiving
Each year our Thanksgiving has looked a little different. Sometimes it’s just the four of us (or even three of us when my husband has to work). Or, sometimes we have multiple friends and family with us. It just depends on the year! Both my family and my husband’s family live out of state so we don’t have an obligation to go somewhere or always host. Occasionally, we might have some family come into town during Thanksgiving and stay with us. Other times we’ve hosted a slew of friends and other times we get to visit friends and family throughout the day. I love that we still make a point to spend time together with people we love, but we are not tied to a special tradition. I know many families sometimes struggle to hold onto those traditions or stress out about it for the entire month. When I hear friends talk about the stress that comes with Thanksgiving, I always feel a little sad for them. I’ve never had that kind of pressure to host the perfect Thanksgiving or felt annoyed that my Uncle Joe still thinks of me as a middle school child and treats me as such. We just kind of go with the flow and decide on what we want to do based on people coming to town or not!
In the years that we have hosted, I figured out the best way to have a lot of food without stressing over cooking. Don’t get me wrong, I love to cook! However, when it comes to multiple people and families, and especially when I had toddler-aged children, the last thing I wanted to do was be in the kitchen for a week beforehand. I discovered that the best way to have a stress free food situation is to only make one or two special dishes that I know I excel at. And the rest, just order it! Obviously, many people like to contribute their favorite dishes so there will always be enough food, no matter what. However, as everyone knows, when you host, you take on the bulk of the responsibilities. So instead of stressing out about cooking the perfect turkey, I order from The Commissary. It’s a Dickie Brennan market and kitchen and they provide delicious Thanksgiving meals. All the prep is done, you just need to pop it into the oven. Not only that, but I found ordering from them is actually cheaper than buying all the ingredients to make it myself. That and TIME! I find there is no point in working myself to make a mediocre dish, then just knowing it will be great and still have the homemade feel and taste.
If you have the opportunity to be a guest at someone’s house, just be kind and appreciative. Bring a dish or a special cocktail and help clean up at the end, even if they insist not to. Thanksgiving is all about being with who you love and feeling thankful for what you have. As I grow older each year, this perspective is what helps me. Also, when you have your own family, it’s a great time to discuss and prioritize what traditions you think are worth keeping. Or even starting your own family traditions that no one had growing up! While it is hard to imagine the history that Thanksgiving actually comes from, we as Americans have reimagined what it should be and I think that it is necessary to evolve and create what you think is important (or not). Either way, bring on those mashed potatoes…because that’s a traditional food I intend to have for years to come!
