Many people look at Thanksgiving like they do Valentine’s Day. “You should tell someone you love them/are thankful for them every day. You shouldn’t need some over-commercialized, Hallmark holiday to remind you to do it.” They are right. But, at least there is that one day. Lives get busy and hectic and we often just assume the people in our lives know how important they are to us. Rushing routines make one day blur into another and Thanksgiving thunks us on the head, pokes us in the heart and reminds us to stop and embrace that moment. It’s a day when, those that are lucky, gather around a huge meal with family, watch football, plot the assault on the upcoming holiday season. My favorite part of Thanksgiving when I was little was the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade. It still is something I look forward to every year. In fact, #3 on my bucket list is a trip to New York with a sublist of things to do when I am there and one of those is watching the parade live.

My new favorite part will be the tradition the monkeys and I created this year. If you’ve been following me here, on Twitter or know me on FaceBook, you know I’m pretty nontraditional when it comes to parenting. We do a lot of goofy things. :) A couple of weeks ago we were out and about and there was Christmas everywhere. The girls back me on my “no Christmas before Thanksgiving.” I’m not going to lie though, sometimes it’s kind of hard. What used to make me huff and puff and grump about being earlier and earlier every year, I now somewhat smile at. It’s not going anywhere, people aren’t going to stop putting Christmas up as early as they can. Stores aren’t going to suddenly decide to refrain. So, why expend the energy in being upset about it? This time of year is my absolute favorite and many times I end up getting caught up in all the things I “have” to get done before the big day and then it’s over and done with and I feel like I missed part of it in all that prep work. So, we came up with an idea. A compromise, if you will. A way to pay proper homage to a day that rightfully deserves it, while embracing that excitement that starts to well for the season of bright shiny lights, the spirit of giving and the anticipation of everyone’s favorite jolly ole man to come a calling.
This year, we made a Thanksgiving Tree. Yes, it is our Christmas Tree, lit up with white twinkle lights. But, it is decorated with leaves, the Star Wars Scrufies Eldest got for her birthday, hand print drawn turkeys with names of people and things we are thankful for and topped with a giant turkey. And I think it’s absolutely beautiful. We had such a good time making it and we managed to take that same feeling you get when getting ready for Christmas and apply it to a very deserving holiday. We decked our halls and spent weeks being thankful. Not just one day. And it was pretty darn awesome.

This year I have so much to be thankful for. So many people in my life with whom I would not be where I am today without. There is no way I could even list them, in fear my skatty self would accidentally miss someone which would make me feel HORRIBLE. My sister, my family, my friends, everyone that even remotely believes in my dream of the UberDork Cafe, the doctors that saw me through a few very rough weeks fairly recently and most of all- my daughters. They truly make me the woman I am today. I hope that one day they will put up Thanksgiving Trees with their families.

Wherever you are, whether you celebrate this day or not, I hope you know how thankful I am that you are reading this. That you are in my life. I hope that you take a moment to even just think about the things in your life you are thankful for. If you act on those thoughts, all the better.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

Thankfully Yours,
Natali