Don’t Let the Stress Get to You!

Whether your family tradition is to spend Thanksgiving together in North America or gather to celebrate the fall harvest in Asia.  This event usually also marks the beginning of a super hectic period that will only end with the arrival of the new year!  So, inevitably one might feel a bit stressed when planning the event that kickstarts the holiday season, and it is easy to overlook the true meaning of this family gathering while you are busy checking off items on your to-do list.

It's all in the planning

Let’s stop for a second, take a deep breath, and prioritize a bit!  Kids are always at the top of my priority list so let me start with them first!  This is the best time of the year to teach them about the importance of being inclusive and thankful for what we have.  So, let’s find some simple Thanksgiving activities to do together with them that can get the message across.  How about creating the Thanksgiving centerpiece together with the kids so that they can be involved in the preparation while learning about Thanksgiving, AND you get the holiday decoration done at the same time?  This is definitely taking multi-tasking to a whole new level! :D

Nothing complicated

OK, now that the decorations are taken care of, it’s time to tackle the menu for the gathering.  After spending the last two Thanksgivings under the threat of the pandemic, we are all just too happy to be able to get the extended family together again, so I am sure everyone will enjoy any food served as long as we can share it together!  So, to lower the stress level by a few notches, instead of the traditional Thanksgiving dishes which are usually quite time-consuming to prepare, perhaps we can consider introducing some less conventional dishes to the table this year.  With the Fall harvests just behind us, there are still so many great ingredients and simple recipes we can consider, and they can be just as tasty and impressive to please your guests.  Who knows?  Maybe these dishes will make it to the annual Thanksgiving table from now on!

Lasting thankful moments

How about some after-dinner family activities to extend the Thanksgiving mood?  For many families, it could be the first time in a long while since they had their last gathering.  There must be so much to update each other about and so many things one can be thankful for.  It would be nice to pass around some small cards and pens for everyone to write down some thanksgiving greetings or little anecdotes of thanks.  At the end of the evening, all notes will be placed in a Thanksgiving jar with the year written on it.  This could be a family tradition and a time capsule of thankful thoughts that can be carried forward for years to come.  No matter what kind of gathering you are planning to have, it should be just as enjoyable to prepare for as the event itself!  Don‎’t miss out on the precious moments of “now” in search of a perfect “gathering tomorrow”!

Happy Thanksgiving, Stay Sparky!