5 Tips for celebrating a cozy Thanksgiving
On this day, many feelings arise with gratitude, such as love, friendship, hope, joy, and togetherness. For most unity is present in the meeting between family and friends, for some it is common to say a prayer before the meal is shared amongst others. Many decide to take up religious practices during the holidays in an effort to enhance their abundance, not only gastronomically but also for good energy.
Although the pandemic has stopped many from traveling as far as they might like to, luckily this holiday can be fully celebrated in the comforts of our homes. Even if the origins of Thanksgiving are questionable the meaning behind is one we all can relate to: thankfulness.
Now more then ever we all need to take a beat and reflect on our lives. We all need to take this time to count our blessings and realize that even if you are going through hard times, their is always someone who has it worse and wishes to be in your shoes.
Learn more about this centennial celebration, which is one of the most emblematic, especially in the United States and Canada!
Origin of Thanksgiving Day
Initially, the celebration took place because of the good annual harvests, and over time, it solidified as a day to thank all blessings and achievements.
The first Thanksgiving Day was celebrated in 1620, where they had an abundant harvest, as the previous harvest had been devastated by the harsh winter. From then on, a reception was held every year to celebrate gratitude.
In 1863, Abraham Lincoln announced that the fourth Thursday in November would be known as National Thanksgiving Day.
Thanksgiving Features
It is traditionally a family holiday, so it is common for family members to travel from afar to get together that day.
It is common to have an abundant table of foods, but some foods are typical such as turkey, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie, among other things.
On that day, there are also street parades, and the Friday after Thanksgiving is known as Black Friday; on that day, the stores make several terrific promotions of their products.
How to organize a cozy Thanksgiving celebration
Regardless of your nationality, you can incorporate good traditions into your family. This is characteristically, a family tradition, but friends can also be invited.
For everything to be perfect, follow these steps:
1) Invite the family and specify the people who will be apart
Besides the family. One must invite close friends, who are more like family than anything else.
2) Menu
The main course of Thanksgiving Day is turkey, so the date has been dubbed Turkey Day.
According to a survey conducted by the American TV channel ABC, about 46 million turkeys were consumed on Thanksgiving Day in 2016.
You can eat anything you want, but it's also nice to taste different foods than we are used to. Trader Joe’s even has their vegan version, Tofurky(tofu turkey). The process of researching and learning new recipes can be quite interesting.
3) Share responsibilities
The good thing is that each person collaborates in some way, this will help to strengthen the spirit of cooperation and gratitude. Each one can be responsible for a type of food, others for the music, and some one for the decoration.
4) Set a location
Plan with people a place that is easily accessible for everyone. Remember, the tradition is to bring everyone together. It could be a restaurant or someone's house.
5) Set a time for thanks
This is certainly the best time, to set aside a moment for the thanksgiving meeting where each one will talk about what they have to thank. That moment can be before or after dinner.
These family traditions can strengthen the bonds of love and unity already established and create new ones. Listening to people thanking for their blessings encourages us to be grateful, and the act of talking about what we have to be thankful allows us to see more clearly how much we have and how much we are blessed.