Thankful for OURThanksgiving Tradition
I know a lot of Momma’s dread having all their kids home for an entire week and having to feed them, entertain them, etc.- but 95% of the time, I am excited for extended breaks with the girls! Plus, I get to sleep until after the sun is up, which is a HUGE win in my book!
Another thing that is different about our family is we do not do Thanksgiving like most families! We don’t do go to big family gatherings; we do not cook, we don’t run to place to place- NONE OF IT!! We use to do it all, but we realized that there was a better way for us! We were always dreading Thanksgiving because if you visited one side of the family, the other sides were upset (even though they promised every year they weren’t the guilt was still there)! Plus, the kids don’t like the food! So about six years ago, the girls went out of town for thanksgiving to see Steve's family in Mississippi, and he and I had a staycation- skipping the hustle of Thanksgiving! We did get invited to go to Waffle House with a friend and her dad! We had the best time!! We laughed until our sides hurt! We truly enjoyed our time together! My face hurt because I smiled so much! That’s when Steve and I realized our thanksgivings needed to change!
This family was such a massive part of our lives- they became Lou’s Godparents! The next we joined them for Thanksgiving, again and again every year, until Papa, my friend's dad passed away from cancer. Lossing Papa was hard on all of us! The year after he passed, our lives were a hot mess- my friend took it very hard and left our lives entirely! We kept the tradition with her daughter in his honor, even though it was not the same happy event. An awesome family friend offered for her family to spend Thanksgiving with us at Waffle House! They made sure that we survived that thanksgiving without two very important people.
By the next Thanksgiving, my best friend’s daughter was not long close to us! We were unsure if we should try to come up with a new tradition or go to a family- nothing felt right. That awesome friend that stepped in to make sure that we survived the first Thanksgiving without Papa and my best friend- that fantastic friend of mine and her family made sure we survived another thanksgiving! Not only was a thanksgiving we survived, but It was incredible- that magical feeling from the very first Thanksgiving there was back! We have kept the tradition every year since, even when we have barely seen each throughout the year! This tradition is one I will always be thankful for, and I hope we can continue for many years to come!
I did break our rule of no tradition thanksgiving dinner this year, but for a great reason! Cass, my best friend since 4th grade, was in town! The Wednesday before their family was having their Thanksgiving dinner, and it was the only day I knew we would be able to visit, so we went! As always her family made the girls and I feel like we were one of their own! It was such a great day catching up!
I did get to spend another night visiting with Cass and her family on Friday night when we all went to see “Christmas in Dahlonega,” where he took pictures together and looking at the shops on the square together! But I will tell you more about this when in the post about all the things we did to get into the Christmas spirit! La also left Friday to go on a trip to Savannah, Georgia, with a friend and her family! She will be working on a blog about that next week!
I feel like this was a boring blog, but I felt like it was essential to acknowledge one of the traditions I cherish the most every year! (and maybe even explain to some people why it is crucial to keep this tradition alive!) Be on the watch for our Working Wednesday blog with Lee this week! It’s a pretty cool craft she did to share with all of you!
As always, thanks for being part of our crazy! Until next time…