We started our Thanksgiving day slowly. It was the loveliest. Every Thanksgiving has looked different for us, between hosting or traveling. For the first time this year, we kept it slow and just us. We spent the evening before prepping the house, the food, and creating the tablescape so there wouldn’t be much to do when we first woke up. We’ve been talking to Emet about the holidays and he was so excited about Thanksgiving he could hardly go to sleep the night before. He came into our room around 7:00am ready to eat breakfast and watch the parade. Since we had a couple hours before that started, we all laid down together and spent time talking about what the day would hold.

When we got up, breakfast was put in the oven and we turned on the parade while it cooked. Then, once everything was ready we sat down for a slow breakfast of quiche and monkey bread. Meal times together are so dear to my heart. The time of stopping and sharing pieces from each of our lives at dinner is something I look forward to each day. I think that’s why Thanksgiving is so special to me. It’s an opportunity to have a whole day to regroup with the family. To just chat. To slowly share in our lives together.

And of course, what would Thanksgiving be without stopping to watch the National Dog Show?

TRADITIONS

Building anticipation around each holiday is so much fun to me. I love making special crafts with Emet and talking about what we want each holiday to mean for our family. This year, we made a Thanksgiving wreath with a list of all the things that we’re thankful for. We also made hand and feet turkeys, sun catchers, and other paintings.

For a fun activity on Thanksgiving day, we purchased a simple gingerbread turkey kit from Trader Joe’s to put together with Emet. It was a bit advanced for him, so I helped with the icing, and he helped put half of the candy on the turkey and the other in his belly - and lick off the icing as quickly as I put it on. He thought it was great (even though the turkey looked kinda scary in the end. Haha!).

DINNER

After the kids went down for a nap, Calvin and I spent the afternoon relaxing and slowly getting things prepared for dinner. I had the turkey brining overnight in a special mixture that I’ve been using for the last several years. It’s the best and makes the turkey so juicy! I reset the table for dinner and we finished making the other staple Thanksgiving dishes: stuffing, mashed potatoes, green been casserole, sweet potatoes, and of course pumpkin pie.

We really loved having the day to be with just our family. Things have been really busy and taking things slower was exactly what we needed. I pieced together a short video of the highlights of the day. I hope you enjoy.

| Credits: Author - Jacintha Payne; Photography - Jacintha & Calvin Payne |