Climbing into my family’s Ford Expedition, I noticed that my older siblings were wearing jeans and comfy shirts. I had meticulously picked out my khaki pants and sweater combo, complete with a purple plaid headband, wanting to look appropriately formal, and yet still relaxed at Thanksgiving. I was 12. And the dress code for Thanksgiving had started to relax, having shifted from my grandparents’ home to my uncles.
I remember walking into his house, noticing the casual wear of almost every other person there, and feeling disappointed.
Stubbornly I have held to my standards of dressing up for Thanksgiving dinner. Don’t get me wrong. I love my leggings and pink sweatshirt to an unhealthy level right now. I don’t have to feel put together all the time. Perhaps that’s why I want another day a year to feel a little more put together..?
It’s not like I want to be a prude. But I love parties. I love OCCASIONS.
After getting married my husband was surprised to see me putting on a skirt and heels for Thanksgiving with his family. He informed me I would certainly be the only one there in tights. I didn’t care. It’s not like I’m out playing football on the lawn. We were going to his parents’ home every other Sunday evening for family dinner at that point. Dressing up is just one more way to make a fairly insignificant dinner feel a little more significant.
And I like to do more than just dress well to an occasion. I like to DECORATE for the occasion too! Shocker, I know. But think about it. Walking into your friend or family’s home, that you’ve visited many times already, and seeing it done up differently. Fun surprises in each room. Little things to set the day apart and make it feel a little more special and
meaningful. I’m all about that stuff!
And Thanksgiving is often the most overlooked. Someone recently described it to me as the middle child of the holidays. It’s sandwiched between Halloween and Christmas and so gets overlooked and is usually an afterthought.
Why not dress up the day a little more this year. Rather than making that extra pie (the “just in case” pie we always feel we need), give yourself a little time to relax, take it in. Put on that outfit you feel awesome in. Trim the place settings with something simple but special. The mood is set in the details. The aesthetic details, to be specific.
Give it a try and let me know how it goes. I have a feeling you’ll find that it doesn’t take much to make your Thanksgiving table feel a little extra special this year!
By the way, I have so many things to be thankful for this year. Including my wonderful 4 year old daughter who surprised me with this little arrangement a couple months ago. Promising talent, no? :)
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!
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