Thanksgiving Day Traditions

I'm a girl of tradition. I love keeping up with them and improving them each year. Whether it be a holiday, birthday or something as simple as sending off a Chinese lantern on July 4th (which we do each year). 

Thanksgiving is a holiday I love. I love baking and cooking while smelling cinnamon infused candles and hearing Al Roker's voice in the background commentating on the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade in New York. It's tradition and I love it. 

I thought it would be fun to share what my family does each year. I don't know about y'all but I love catching a glimpse into someone else's life and traditions to see how different or similar we may be plus it makes for a blog post when you're running low on fumes and coffee on a Thursday morning :)

The Wednesday prior to Thanksgiving I only work half a day. If I wanted to I could take 4 hours of holiday pay but it's such an easy day at work and half the time is spent eating lunch in downtown to celebrate our work Thanksgiving, and who wants to miss out on a delicious free meal?

Once I knock off at noon I head to the grocery store and pick up the items I need to make for Thanksgiving day. Once I get home I give my fridge a good cleaning and stock the new items in there. Our fridge on Wednesday afternoon usually looks a little something like this...

I always, always, always make baked brussell sprouts on Thanksgiving Day for my parents Thanksgiving dinner. All of us women (because most men hate vegetables) snack on them while prepping the food or table. There always gone by the time dinner is ready, plus their healthy and yummy - so there's always that. 

Cut the ends off, add some olive oil and sea salt, bake at 400 degrees for about 30-40 minutes. They'll come out warm, salty and delicious!

I also make a berry trifle depending upon what fruits look good at the store. Last year it was strawberries and blackberries but this year raspberries are looking beautiful. 

We shall see.

Once my groceries are put away and Tarl and Cadence get home from school/work we will go out to eat somewhere locally. I know I'll be baking and dirtying my kitchen on Thursday morning so we try to keep the kitchen clean the night before. 

On Thursday when we wake up, Tarl cooks us french toast. His french toast is the best. Truly nothing beats it and we've made this a holiday tradition for both Thanksgiving, Easter and Mother's Day. 

Once we get up, get dressed and ready for the day I start on my baking/cooking for my in-laws. This year I've decided to make a bread cornucopia filled with fruits and goodies. I love appetizers with family gatherings. Something you can nibble on while catching up with family or waiting on the turkey to be done. Fruit is perfect for that and the cornucopia, also edible and buttery delicious, is the perfect centerpiece for the table.

I made one a few years back for my family's Thanksgiving and this year I'm making it for my in-laws.

It was actually really simple to make. I filled it with lots of rolls and put decorative leaves underneath to give it a more festive look. I'm ready to make one this year and fill it with colorful fruit.

Once the baking is done, coffee pot is empty and we've watched most of the parade we head to the in-laws for a Thanksgiving luncheon filled with laughter, friends and family. 

We spend a few hours making new memories then back to the house we go to pick up our goodies for my parents Thanksgiving dinner. Again, we head off to their home, eat some more and then finish the evening at my parents sitting around a fire enjoying time together. 

When the day is done we snuggle in our bed and watch A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. 

Some times when the evening is done my mom will watch Cadence so Tarl and I can do some Black Friday shopping for her, however since shopping for Miss Priss is done this year we won't go shopping until Friday morning. We'll grab us a Starbucks and venture out to scout all the deals. 

You can read all about my Thanksgiving weekend last year, here!

I love Thanksgiving - and it's only one week away!

What are your traditions?