Giving Thanks

Last year, we didn’t celebrate Thanksgiving. I was so bummed about being away from family and friends, I felt like it would be depressing to go through the motions by ourselves. Instead, we went and enjoyed the first night of the Christmas Markets, which was a really nice substitute and provided the “warm fuzzies”we needed.

I made this table centerpiece out of trimmings from our garden and food we had on hand.

But this year was different. We feel more thankful than we have ever felt. We are so glad to be in our sweet and lovely home, so thankful that everything has turned out alright after the nail-biter of a year we have had. And through the ups and downs, we have grown closer as a family. So, we did not feel like we were away from family this year– the three of us were together, love each others’ company, and had a lovely meal. It was a real celebration!
I tried a recipe for a pumpkin stuffed with turkey, which I adjusted to be like my favorite stuffing. It was really, really good!

Our Menu:  Turkey Stuffed Pumpkin; Bacon-y Brussel Sprouts; Fresh Cranberry Relish with Apple Orange and Ginger; Baked Figs with Ginger Whipped Cream. Yum!

Simple, casual place settings.

We made a little Thankfulness Tree, and hung vegetable-shaped tags on it of things we are thankful for. “Home” came up three times, and “Family,” “England,” “Cider” and “Our Lovely World” are hanging from the tree among many others. We made a fire in the fireplace, skyped with some family members on each side, and started a new book to read aloud as a family. It was a very good day. This one will definitely go on my list of best, most memorable Thanksgivings. We are very grateful.