We are on our own this Thanksgiving, no family coming, no friends, no guests of any kind. Due to circumstances beyond control my parents were unable to come home for Thanksgiving. And my brother had to work. And so our usually small party of 5 or 6 was down to just my family of 3.
And honestly I was a bit heartbroken about the whole thing. I love Thanksgiving. I love cooking the big meal, I love the leftovers, I love having my whole family together. I love my moms mashed potatoes and my Dad watching football and saying, “it’s not that I’m not helping clean up but, I’m not”.
We easily could have went to my in-laws or ate with friends or went out to dinner. But… I wanted to make the meal, I wanted to be at home. I wanted my Thanksgiving the way I wanted it. I wasn’t sure what to do. I wasn’t feeling very thankful, I was feeling emotional and annoyed and well… I’m pregnant.
Then last week a friend mentioned that even if no one was coming to her house she would still make the big dinner for her family. And I thought, why not? Why not just continue on as planned?
So that’s what we did. We decided to make the most of it. Have our dinner, decorate for Christmas and enjoy the day together.
And there are some benefits to having Thanksgiving just us. No one cares that I’m in yoga pants or if my son is in his pajamas at dinner. If we decide to dig into the pie before the Turkey’s done, then who cares?
The night before was so stress free, I did some prep but I wasn’t writing out a timeline or fretting about putting the leaf in the dining room table. I didn’t clean the house or yell at anyone to get a shower or pick up their toys. I didn’t have to worry about anything being done on time or what would happen if things weren’t just right.
We could just be. Which is something to be thankful for in this season of rush. And a little perspective is always good. We are very blessed this year and have so many great things on the horizon. Thanksgiving is just a day of the year and we will see family and friends over the weekend and seeing my parents soon enough in Disney World. There is much to be grateful for. And maybe we will remember this Thanksgiving as just the three of us, because it will be the last one this way, and as much as I’m thankful for that I’m also enjoying these last few months as a family of three.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours. I’m always thankful that you take time out of your day to visit my little space here.
Your Thanksgiving sounds completely lovely. I hosted and it was stressful. Though I still just wore my yoga pants. 😉
Yes, next year you will look back at this Thanksgiving fondly. I’m glad you found this year’s Thanksgiving peaceful and relaxing. While I’m sure you’re excited to welcome someone new to the family; there’s also something to be said for savoring the last few months for being a family of 3.