There are only 17 whole days before Thanksgiving, also known as Turkey Day, is here. Yes I am counting. Why? I love a holiday where I can enjoy my family’s company, count my blessings, and eat to my heart is content without any ounce of guilt! It’s the one day out of the year where everyone comes together to share what they are thankful for and appreciate what we have. While this is something I practice all year around, Thanksgiving is still a special time to spend with the one’s I adore. After all, it IS tradition in our home to have a big dinner full of tasty homemade dishes that will have everyone snug as a bug on a rug when they leave! This year I am helping my mom in setting up our family dinner and I am responsible for focusing on decor and details.
An eye catching table setting is one of the most important things I strive for when it comes to entertaining guests during the holidays. Decorating is one of my favorite things to do but let’s be honest, it can get pricey! Since I start my shopping early I try to budget myself to get the most for my money. By shopping at Target I can get everything that I need at a reasonable price and still have enough left over to splurge a little. The best part is most of their items are versatile and can be used for other occasions and celebrations. Lately I have been attracted to anything with crystal, gold, and silver accents. There is something about the holidays that makes me think SPARKLE and this is exactly where I have taken my inspiration from this year! I fell in love with the snowflake salt & pepper shakers pictured below. They are the perfect touch to my Winter Wonderland decor for Christmas time.
No holiday celebration would be complete without a fancy outfit and matching accessories. On Thanksgiving everyone in my family dresses up and attends dinner at my mother’s house. An affordable yet stylish outfit is a must have for family photos. Target has a variety of casual and formal clothing for adults and children. You can find your outfit, shoes, handbag, and jewelry all in one place!
Another tradition that we recently started was Elf On The Shelf, but we call him Apple Jack. He made a surprise appearance last year shortly after Thanksgiving. This year he will be dangling from the ceiling bright and early on the first of December. I wonder what kind of mischief he will be getting into this time around. Last year he was caught wrapping toilet paper around the tree, consuming a whole bag of peppermint Hershey Kisses, fishing for goldfish in the sink, and using the potty! To make these traditions even sweeter Target has a delicious Peppermint Hot Cocoa Affogato recipe that the whole family will enjoy. It’s creamy, minty, and sure to bring about those warm and cozy holiday fuzzies.
Christmas has always been a family celebration in the Grinkmeyer home, but as our children grew older we found that their interest in Christmas morning waned and the sparkle in their eyes was gone. The day after Thanksgiving, 1992, we introduced the Christmas Web in our home with the placement of Magic Wands into their socks that had for years been hung at the fireplace mantel. Attached to each Magic Wand was a piece of yarn (a 70 yard piece of yarn). When our two teen-aged children came down Christmas morning, they found that the yarn was wound through the house – around window latches, door knobs, chairs and doors. It ended in a closet or cabinet which held their special Christmas gift from one of Santa’s elves, an elf that had been looking out for them for the past year and knew of their desire for this special Christmas gift.
The Christmas Web continued as each of our children got married and as they had children. Each of our grandchildren have an Elf on the Shelf or Elf Magic elf who is now the elf that hides their special Christmas gift each year and leads them to it with their individual Magic Wand. We now have seven Magic Wands each with 70 yards of yarn winding through our house every Christmas morning, making getting a cup of coffee an acrobatic achievement before the winding hunt begins.
She is just TOO CUTE in that first photo!!! ahhh! Hugs from me to Toodie! xoxo I love Thanksgiving and family traditions. I always cook the deviled eggs and make the homemade turkey gravy and rice~the other dishes change, but those are my traditional contributions to Turkeh Dinneh! 😀