I remember celebrating Thanksgiving when I was a kid, so excited because it meant we could finally put up our Christmas tree (dad’s rule). Not that we didn’t celebrate Thanksgiving (we did, my family loves to eat), but I just thought of it as a kick-off to my favorite time of year. As many cookies as I could eat, presents, time with family, Christmas songs on the radio all day, every day…

It wasn’t until I moved away from my family that I realized how much I treasured our Thanksgiving Day traditions. I try to sprinkle them in now, as we start to develop our own family traditions. Here’s what I’m looking forward to next week:

• Catching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade while cooking
• Playing board games (most likely Last Night on Earth, although I miss playing Scrabble with my mom)
• Setting the table – my favorite centerpiece is a collection of mismatched candles
• Reaching out to family and friends (this year I plan to make more phone calls instead of texting cute turkey emojis)
• Sharing a nice bottle of wine or champagne with Alex
• Listening to jazzy Christmas music
• Spending a few minutes talking about what we’ve been thankful for this past year
• Watching Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas
• Getting out just a few Christmas decorations (I’ve decided that tree-trimming deserves its own special day)

Looking over my to-do list above, I’m grateful I have a job that doesn’t require me to work on Thanksgiving (or the day after, for that matter). Because I spent many holidays away from my family due to a work schedule, I am more careful about how I support companies that have open hours on holidays. I get the fun of Black Friday shopping, but when you think about a mom who had to go to bed early on Thanksgiving so she could be awake at 4am to get to work the next day… 50% off a TV doesn’t really seem to matter. At least to me, I guess. Remember to laugh, love, and be thankful next week – even if your crazy uncle gets on your nerves.