Wanting to merely “survive” Thanksgiving? Some people dread Thanksgiving, and I can’t blame them! You spend most of the year trying to avoid fat-laden food and pesky relatives and on the fourth Thursday in November, bam, you’re confronted by both. What to do? To help out, I’ve compiled Mamiverse’s best tips to survive Thanksgiving and even enjoy it! Click on each title to read the entire post.
READ BOOKS ON GRATITUDE WITH THE KIDS – Ever since my kids were babies, I’d read to them. Now that they’re tweens, we still read together and no matter what time of the year it is, I find it a relaxing and bonding experience. Eileen Carter Campos, a school teacher, shares with us five books that we can share with our little ones during Thanksgiving.
PREPARE IN ADVANCE FOR THE FAMILY GATHERING – By this, I don’t mean pick the clothes you will wear or settle on what dish you will cook. Laura Carbonell gives us tips on accepting that all families have some degree of dysfunction, and keeping the conversation light to avoid conflict. If you play out various scenarios in your head before the big day and prepare to calmly ignore Uncle Bob’s rude comments, you’ll survive.
FOCUS ON YOUR CHILDREN – It’s hard to find energy to brood about your mean stepmother and what snide remark she’ll make about your weight gain when you have small children who require all of your attention! So focus on teaching them about kindness and enjoy different Thanksgiving-themed activities with them. Monica Olivera gives creative tips such as making a “thankful” tree with them.
Read Related: Black Friday Survival Guide
BE INSPIRED WITH GRATITUDE QUOTES – Inspirational quotes help, they do. I keep them handy when I’m feeling less than optimistic or more challenged than usual, and they invariably lift my mood. We selected Oprah’s best quotes on gratitude to share with you, so that you can refer to them when Thanksgiving proves to be less fun than you anticipated.
START A GRATITUDE JOURNAL – When stress rules your world and things seem to go wrong at every turn, there’s nothing like focusing on the positive, no matter how small. At a time in my own life when I felt like I had nothing to be grateful for, I decided to keep a gratitude journal. This post is my journey from grief to gratitude thanks to that diary.
COOK UP A STORM – I’m usually so busy during the week that I don’t even cook. I’m lucky to have a partner who does it for me when I’m swamped working. But when I do take the time to choose a recipe, shop for it and prepare to enjoy elaborating it, I forget everything else. Fernanda Beccaglia gives us several recipes that will ensure the yummiest Thanksgiving ever, and a more relaxed you after you’re done!
DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT – If you’re really not in the mood for a full-blown family dinner with all the trimmings, then go out and grab Chinese food, travel if your budget so permits—to a country where Thanksgiving is not observed—or indulge in a day long fast…anything but celebrate this holiday the traditional way!
