A Stress-Free Thanksgiving

“He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.” -Epictetus

The thought of the holidays can be stressful because there’s too much to do in too little time, and sometimes, for too many people. We ask, why do we do it to ourselves year after year?

We’re learning how to make them as uncomplicated as we know how because sometimes simple is just plain better. We wanted to show you how we uncomplicated last year’s Thanksgiving.

First of all, how many items really need to be on the menu? Last year, I believe we only had five different things minus dessert. We’re looking at the photo at the top of this page trying to figure out what we had…. Looks like…

• Turkey (only the breast)
• A couple vegetable dishes
• Was that orange thing squash or sweet potatoes? Hmmm….
• Cornbread

Also on the table, are several of our plants, candles, a tall glass vase containing a Beta fish and lucky bamboo. We didn’t buy any turkey-shaped serving trays or anything specifically designed for Thanksgiving. Except for the turkey breast and maybe the sweet potatoes, we used things we had.

The table itself was set outdoors on our patio which is a perk of living in Florida. We used our everyday plates mainly because those are the only plates we own. Honestly, we don’t think we will ever want that “special” set of dishes, and if we do, they will be used every day. We think every day we’re alive is reason enough to use them.

I should also point out it was just the two of us for dinner. We tend to travel to visit relatives on off holiday season to further simplify things. Traveling is easier, the time spent visiting more relaxed with a lot less pressure for everyone.

We like to make the holidays what we want them to be rather than what is generally expected. Maybe you love them over-the-top and crazy and maybe you don’t celebrate at all. Whatever works for you is what you should do and don’t feel pressured to do it any other way.

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