Happy Thanksgiving! There’s nothing wrong with going against the grain! Making the holidays what you want it to be is really special if you ask me. There’s no rule that says you just have turkey! Make the day what you want it to be!
Dress Up or Dress Down
You can dress your day up or down as much as you like. When we first had our oldest we were super traditional. We tried to split the holidays. Then we dressed in super traditional clothes, we watched the Thanksgiving Day parades, etc. We have kept a lot of the traditions from our childhood and merged them together. Fast forward to today and I can tell you we have love in the center of us but we make it whatever we would like it to be and on our own terms. We now do what works best for us. Every year it may change and that’s fine too!
When you don’t like to keep in line with traditions here are some amazing ways to change the perspective:
Friendsgiving for Thanksgiving
You can do this in a numbers of ways. Over the weekend my friends and I did a Friendsgiving brunch. This was a way to come together, brunch, and connect! I’ve seen some that incorporate non Thanksgiving Food. You can do a themed dinner or luncheon. I’ve seen where people bring leftovers and put a spin on it. This gives you a way to get rid of your leftovers and spend valuable time with your friends!
Themed Dinner
Yes turkey might not be your thing. You could always opt for something else besides ham or a turkey. There’s always a themed dinner. A themed dinner takes the whole Thanksgiving day dinner to another level. As long as you’re thankful it shouldn’t matter what you have on your actual plate. So eat to your desire. You could always mix both traditional with non traditional too.
Thanksgiving Mixes
This is when you take a traditional dish and flip it. Like a switch up on the day. I’ve had some amazing meals that I wouldn’t have known existed by eating some mixes. For example a sweet potato soufflé. It’s amazing and something my family wouldn’t traditionally have. The spin is still Thanksgiving but has a different level to it.
Thanksgiving Brunch
So a few people I know are having a brunch that day and then spending the rest of the day drinking and Ubering to shop and having a dinner out later in the day! It’s genius and with less clean up. I would only caution if you make this option to secure reservations early. Especially if you want a nice sit down meal. There are a lot of options here in Philadelphia. If you follow me on Facebook I have and will continue to highlight some amazing restaurants that have great options!
Vacation for Solo trips, Staycations and more
Traveling around the holidays are super stressful. With that in mind consider actually traveling in other ways. Take a road trip, or do a staycation. This works wonders for those not wanting to have the traditional sit down dinner. The premise around taking a trip or having a staycation is bringing in the element of rest while vacationing. I have seen both single and families pull this off. A few tips:
- Plan early
- Make a back up plan-travel during the holidays do come with a little stress
- Consider what makes you and those you share space with comfortable
- Don’t overdo any one plan
So again make the holiday as big or as as small as you would like. Focus on what you want to see happen for the day. Don’t compare yourself to others. There are people fighting major to stay connected with themselves let alone others.
Do what makes you feel good for yourself or your friends! Remember life is short but memories last longer than most! Happy Thanksgiving!
