Thanksgiving

mini pies;  cheese board; caligrapher plates

Thanksgiving is nearly here!  It is one of our favorite holidays and we thought we’d share just a few reasons why we love it.

Ash’s reasons to love 

There are so many reasons to love Thanksgiving, but I’ll narrow it down to just a few and save the rest to share in years to come!  In no particular order…

1.  What’s better than getting together with friends and/or family and eating good food?!  Not much.  And even if all of the food isn’t all that great, the bottle of wine or dessert that you brought is sure to be to your liking.  HINT HINT – don’t show up empty handed!  If you need some host give ideas, check out Aj’s recent Gift Guide post for some inspiration.

2.  Pie.  Apple pie, pumpkin pie, strawberry pie, key lime pie, pecan pie – I love pie.  When I was younger we’d spend a few weeks every summer in Los Angeles and my dad would make regular stops at Polly’s Pies, bringing back several at a time.  I remember always getting to pick my own (whole pie, not piece!) from the long list of fresh baked pies.  When Thanksgiving rolled around and our family gathered, there was always a turkey, green bean caserole, and sweet potato bake; but dessert was when the eating got serious.  The pies outnumbered the guests, and an assortment of cookies filled the side table.  Having a small gathering but still want variety?  Opt for mini pies like the ones pictured above from Peasant Pies in San Francisco.

3. The Official kickoff to the holiday season.  Sure Starbucks started using their holiday cups a few weeks ago, and Target started putting out its Christmas decorations with the Halloween candy; but Thanksgiving is, IMHO, the official start of the season.  Time to put on some red lipstick and something sparkly because the holidays are here!  Cheers!  (PS.  Need something sparkly to wear?  Check out the Glitz, Glam, & Velvet post.)    

Aj’s reasons to love

 1. Food. Let’s be honest, any excuse to get together with all the family and friends I love and eat great food is an amazing day. I’m already drooling thinking about a few of my favorite Thanksgiving dishes: brussels sprouts, mile long dessert spreads, homemade cranberry sauce, and fancy fall salads.

2. Seeing my kiddos play with all the cousins. Every year growing up we would drive down to our MeeMaw & PeePaw’s house and have Thanksgiving. It was one of the few days a year that all the cousins would be there and we looked forward to it! My son & daughter are one of 19 cousins on my husband’s side and I just love seeing them all get together and play. It brings back so many fun memories from my childhood.

3. Black Friday. Ok- so I have a love hate with this one. I hate that it has now encroached on Thanksgiving because now it is taking away from family time for some and that makes me sad; but, I do love black Friday. The reason I love it is probably different from most- it’s not because of all the deals {even though there are some great ones this year and I’ll be posting about some of the ones you need to snag, soon!} but instead, it’s because it’s become a tradition for a couple of my sister in laws and I to load up in one car and tackle Black Friday sales together. We make a plan and attack a store together so that we can cover more ground. We stay out late and end our victorious night with popcorn and a movie- I love it and I love my family.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

xoxo
– ash + aj