Hello, there sweet friend…
I’m sending you and your family warm wishes for a marvelous Thanksgiving filled with blessings of family, friends, and fellowship.
My family and I are planning to celebrate with our favorite holiday foods (‘dressing’ for me and ‘stuffing’ for my son) on our vintage turkey dinner plates. Then we will spend the afternoon chatting about the upcoming Christmas season and beyond including making lists to be sure we schedule time for our ‘must-do’ traditions.
One of my favorite traditions is to put up the Christmas tree on Thanksgiving evening. For many years, I had a retail job – the holiday work hours were long, while time at home with family was scattered and brief. I began putting up our tree “early” in an effort to extend the joy of the season by having just a few more nights of beautiful twinkling lights.
Now as a work from home mom and homeschooling mom, our time around our house is plentiful and no longer as rushed; however, I still enjoy decorating as early as possible. This year when I suggested we decorate for Christmas the weekend before Thanksgiving, I was surprised to hear pushback from my son. He absolutely loves the upcoming season and all of the accoutrement that comes with it. I thought he would totally be on board with me . . . willing if not excited about rediscovering his favorite ornaments for the tree and helping decide where we should place the Dickens village in our new abode. But he was adamant we should not miss a minute of the Thanksgiving holiday.
He reasoned that Thanksgiving was a special day in and of itself and should not, in fact, must not be overshadowed by my desire to retire the fall decor in favor of the sparkle of tinsel and the soft glow of our Christmas tree. Hearing his heartfelt response, I knew this was one of those times when it was less about replacing pumpkins with holly and more about the acknowledgment of time passing and how we should embrace the current moment fully.
Days later, when I reflected on our conversation, it dawned on me, there are only two more Thanksgivings until he turns eighteen. Two more Christmas’, one more summer, and 92 more Saturdays. (This is where, if I were texting, I would insert a wide-eyed emoji.)
Friends, among the many things I am grateful for this Thanksgiving, are the days, hours, minutes I am honored to spend with my family. Some of those times are working and schooling and general living…and some of them are celebrating and traveling and living fully. I try to tip the scale as often as possible…celebrating the little things as well as the major. Traveling as often as possible by prioritizing it in our budget and lifestyle. And living fully by listening to my son when he suggests we make this Thanksgiving a really special one.
My toast for you this coming season is to enjoy every moment with your family and to #embracethejourney – the regular times and the special times – they make your family unique and wonderful!
Happy Thanksgiving Thursday!
xoxo,
Penny
PS For those who have already decorated for the holly jolly season – I’ve really enjoyed living vicariously with your family and you’ve brightened my evening drive time as I dream of my own Christmas decorating happening in the very near future.
If your family is thinking about planning your next travel {ski, cruise, Disney, tropical} adventure, click here and I’ll be in touch soon!
Sent on November 23, 2017, to friends on Pirate Mom Penny’s VIP List.
