Looking Forward to Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is just a little over a week away. It’s a time when we look back over the past year and celebrate what we’re grateful for. One thing I’m most grateful for is my family.  It’s changed over the years with the grandkids getting married and having kids. Now some of the great grandkids are married too.  

We gather at someone’s home and everyone brings something for a potluck of everyone’s favorite foods.  Turkey (of course), stuffing, cranberry sauce, both canned and homemade (there an on-going debate in my family as to which is the “real” kind),  mashed potatoes, an appetizer, rolls, fruit salad, deviled eggs, and several pies.  

Festivities typically start around noon that day, with people arriving

5 Tips to Make Thanksgiving Travel Less Stressful

photo courtesy of pixabay

I always enjoy Thanksgiving.  It’s the one time a year my whole family gets together. It's also the busiest day of the year for traveling. Since that can be stressful, I’ve come up with a few ways to make it a little easier.

Plan ahead. One of the worst stressors in traveling is having to make sure you have everything. One week before you leave, (instead of the night before) write down everything you’ll want with you while you’re gone.  Making a list has a couple of benefits. First, you can actually see it on paper.  That helps you organize your thoughts instead of thinking you’ll just know it all when you leave. It also reduces your stress level because you don’t have to remember everything.  It’s there for you to see when you pack. The third advantage is that you have a list to check things off as you pack, making it more likely you’ll have everything you need.

Medicine. When you make your list, remember your medicine, if you take any. The most obvious thing we think of in packing is, of course, the clothes we’ll wear. But medicine is even more important. Depending on where you go, you may not have access to your doctor. We can’t just run across town to get another prescription when we travel, so we have to make sure we have it all before we go.  Make sure you take everything with you. 

Pack two days before you leave.  Once you’ve listed and laid out everything you need, pack your suitcase(s) two nights ahead of time.  This gives you an extra day to double check that everything’s in there.  If you’ve forgotten something, you have time to stick it in there without rushing at the last minute. 

photo courtesy of pixabay

 Are you flying?  If you are, take a carry-on with you and check the airline’s requirements for what’s allowed and what’s not. Check the weight limit for each suitcase you plan to check.  Weigh each bag at home and adjust whatever’s necessary before you get to the airport. Most flights limit the amount of liquids allowed in a container in a carry-on (a few ounces) and allow only one quart-size, transparent, resealable bag per passenger.  You’ll have to show it to an employee, so keep it out of your bag until you get on the plane.

ALWAYS pack your medicine in your carry-on.  You never know if your luggage will get lost somewhere along the way. Several years ago, I flew from California to Washington D.C. My luggage went to St. Louis instead, so I was left without clean clothes.  The humidity, combined with rain there in the middle of July, made me miserable for 3 days before I was reunited with my luggage. Fortunately, I had my medicine in my carry-on so it was just an inconvenience. 

These are my thoughts.  What other tips would you add to the list?

 

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

 

 

Thanksgiving 2016

Thanksgiving is only one week away, believe it or not. I think it's a time to look back over the past year and celebrate what we’re grateful for. One thing I’m most grateful for is my family. We’ve gotten together at Grandma’s house for over 40 years now. The family’s changed over the years with the grandkids getting married and having kids.  Now, even some of the great grandkids are married too. 

Everyone brings something for a potluck of everyone’s favorite foods. Turkey (of course), stuffing, cranberry sauce, both canned and homemade (there an on-going debate in my family as to which is the “real” kind)

Other side dishes include mashed potatoes, an appetizer that always illustrates Aunt Mina’s creativity, rolls, cornbread, fruit salad, veggies, deviled eggs, and several pies.

 

The festivities typically start around noon that day, with people arriving from all over California, where most of my family lives. My folks and I travel from South Carolina to be there. It’s a long way, but always worth it since we only get to see the whole family once a year.

After a large meal, everyone goes for a walk even though it’s getting dark. The cool air and the exercise help counter the effects of the tryptophan in the turkey. At least that’s what I think. When we get back, we’re ready to play games in a friendly competition.

Charades is one of our family traditions each year. We form two teams (guys
vs. girls) and each team comes up with movies, books, songs, and TV shows for someone on the other team to act out without saying anything or making any noises. Everyone has up to three minutes for their team to come up with the right answer. There’s always lots of laughter, teasing, and good-natured competitiveness.  In recent years, we’ve added additional games such as Fish Bowl and a Factoid Game.

Sometimes, we do silly things like trying to hang spoons on our noses and seeing who can hold it the longest. My brother and uncle are good at it. Dad’s gotten even a little more advanced, as you can see in this picture. 

So, how about you?  What does Thanksgiving mean to you?  How do you celebrate the holiday?  Share it here.

Happy Thanksgiving

I love Thanksgiving. It’s probably my favorite holiday of the year. It’s the one time of year our extended family gets together to celebrate the day and each other. It’s especially important as the years go by.

 

Our family has traditions surrounding the holiday, including playing charades, children making projects at the craft table, and having breakfast at my cousin’s house the next morning.  And, of course, there are always stories to swap when it’s been so long since we’ve
seen each other.  

How ‘bout you?  What are you most thankful for?  Do you have any traditions or things you look forward to for Thanksgiving?  Share them here. Don’t forget to join the conversation.