MOTIVATIONAL SPIRITUAL, TRAVEL HIGHLIGHTS

5 WAYS TO CELEBRATE THANKSGIVING

November 21, 2020

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Thanksgiving celebrations are the best! Family and friends gather to share much needed time together to bond. A feast is prepared for all to share. Genuine relationship connection are renewed for another year.

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“There is always, always something to be thankful for.”
~UNKNOWN

YES! That’s a wild turkey! The irony of this feathered birds visit so close to Thanksgiving is not lost! We are fortunate to live in an area where we are able to enjoy these birds frequently as they travel through our yard. They like to roost at night in our grape arbors. The turkey and subsequent turkey dinner at Thanksgiving annually symbolize a food tradition along with items like dressing, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, cranberries, pumpkin pie with homemade whipped cream and thoughts of large family gatherings. Traditions are a staple of how we “do” holidays.

As we all move in our own lives busily throughout the year, it is especially wonderful to gather together to spend quality time with our extended family and loved ones to share a meal on Thanksgiving.

Here are five ways you too can celebrate what we are thankful for when family gathers this year to celebrate.

“Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has plenty; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.”
~Charles Dickens

Join with us as we are considering 5 ways to celebrate Thanksgiving in a new and different CRAZY FUN WAY? It’s the same holiday, but why not put a twist on it to just mix it up a little bit? Is your glass half full or half empty? YOU GET TO CHOOSE!!

#1 HIKE A TRAIL, OR BIKE RIDE A SCENIC PATH

“The best view comes after the hardest climb.”
~ANONYMOUS

Do you have a favorite hiking trail or bike path that is scenic? Get outside and explore!!!

Work up a great big appetite for that turkey dinner you threw in the oven that requires time to cook to perfection. Go for a hike! Get outdoors. Breathe lots of fresh air and enjoy the day! Each day is a gift! DO NOT waste one moment lamenting what you are not doing, but instead embrace what you ARE DOING and enjoy it!

“An attitude of gratitude brings great things.”
~Yogi Bhajan

Take the bikes out for a spin on the local bike path or down a country road to enjoy the brilliant blue sky and big billowy fall clouds. ENJOY! Seize the day!

#2 BINGE WATCH – I CAN SEE YOUR VOICE

“What I love about Thanksgiving is that it’s purely about getting together with friends or family and enjoying food. It’s really for everybody, and it doesn’t matter where you’re from.”
~Daniel Humm

Okay, so I know this sounds odd, but our family has the most giggles and laughter over this show. It airs Wednesdays @ 9/8c on Fox. We tagged it to record several episodes and like to watch a bunch at a time. It is hosted by Ken Jeong. We use monopoly money or you could use poker chips or pretzels to make bets on who is a terrible singer and who is a good singer. It is so much fun and surprising at the same time. At the end, the last round is times 10 for the bet! HAVE FUN! We do!

You could bet on who is doing dishes after Thanksgiving dinner where the losers have to clean the kitchen! The winners get served an extra serving of pumpkin pie! You can come up with your own rule of engagement and have a lot of fun with this! Give it a try! It’s lighthearted fun, silly, and completely entertaining!

#3 MAKE DONUNTS WITH GRANDMA!

“We must find the time to stop and thank the people who make a difference in our lives.”
~John F. Kennedy

As preparations in the kitchen ramp up in preparation for Thanksgiving Day, spend time before hand with your Grandma. Does she have a favorite recipe? It’s not about making the recipe for the meal. It’s about spending time with her. Seeing faces light up with the joy of a surprise visit or a planned one fills everyone’s heart with lots of warmth.

Give thanks for your health this holiday season and pray for all who are suffering with illness or separation from their loved ones. Share quality time with your loved ones that you are able to celebrate with and make lasting strong memories. Time well spent cannot be lamented. Enjoy the people that truly care about you and support you throughout the year with a shared meal or activity.

“Be present in all things and thankful for all.” ~Maya Angelou

#4 TRY CRAZY, UNTRADITIONAL ZANEY RECIPES

“I love Thanksgiving because it’s a holiday that is centered around food and family.”
~Marcus Samuelsson

Well this year enjoy your Thanksgiving gathering and if you provide a BIG meal of perfection, make sure you include bonding and love! Use this opportunity to sort through recipes to find at least one or two unusual, off the wall, ZANEY recipes that you would never usually throw into the mix! If it is a flop…who cares, right! It may just be the star of the show! It may be horrible! Give it a try! What do you have to lose!

Anyone have an odd or irregular recipe that they’d like others to try that is unusual? Share it below! My mother likes to grind orange peels and fresh cranberries with sugar to make a cranberry relish. I love it, but most people look at me like I’m crazy when I talk about it. This is an example of what I’m talking about. I’m looking for something even stranger or more odd than that…anyone?

#5 HAVE A PARKER BROTHER BOARD GAME MARATHON

“We tend to forget that happiness doesn’t come as a result of getting something we don’t have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have.”
~Frederick Keonig

Have each family member go to the game closet and pick one board game then begin the board game marathon! It is fun to relive all the childhood fun each of us has had with these vintage board games! Thanksgiving dinner isn’t necessarily the focus now…the day of board games becomes the center of attention!

We have had great fun in the past with this ideas of a marathon of board games! I do suggest omitting monopoly as someone usually ends up mad…just a note-to-self if you live in an ultra competitive environment like ours! We’ve never done this for Thanksgiving day before, but why not this year? It is always a blast!

“Thanksgiving is one of my favorite days of the year because it reminds us to give thanks and to count our blessings. Suddenly, so many things become so little when we realize how blessed and lucky we are.”
~Joyce Giraud

Should you find yourself unsure of how to proceed this Thanksgiving Holiday season consider one of these 5 ideas to spice up your Thanksgiving day!

What are your plans this year to enjoy this special day with your immediate family? Do you have traditions that you are heartbroken over that you do not celebrate anymore? Replace that heartbreak with something silly to have a positive day instead! Leave me a reply below with which of these five ideas you may try to spice it up this year or REPLY BELOW with what your plans for Thanksgiving Day will entail! I am looking forward to hearing from you!

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Inspirationally Yours,

Barbara

BIO: https://www.inspirationaltraveladventures.com/about-us/

ABOUT ME:

A 1993 graduate of Michigan State University, Barbara earned a BS in Social Science Pre-Law. She is a Business Manager/HR Director. Her passion is travel, discovering new places, experiences, cuisine, cultures while enjoying temperate climates. Barbara is a newly transitioning empty-nester who became a travel blogger. She’s a great photographer, talented writer, and has a great family to highlight in her high school/college athlete football sons.

WEBSITE: www.inspirationaltraveladventures.com

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