Holidays at home are a time for relaxing, hanging out with family, having a fridge full of food and so much more. Despite all these luxuries, this time can be very stressful, especially when there is a long list of family members who are going to arrive on Thanksgiving prepared for a feast. Do not stress though. Instead, it is more important to make sure your family knows how thankful you are to have them. Here are some ways to remind them:
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Make a toast. It can be scary to stand up and say some kind words, even if it is just to your family, but a toast is a fantastic way to let people know you care. Your toast can be funny, sappy, or even just grateful. The point is you are taking the time to stand up and let the people you care about know that you are very thankful for them. Even when not executed well, a toast is still a great excuse to laugh, start conversations, and drink more!
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Clean all the dishes after dinner. To be honest this is not a fun endeavor, but it is worth it. Fight that after-turkey urge to snooze, burn some of those calories and start collecting those dishes as soon as you know everyone is done eating. It gives the cook and the other guests a much-needed chance to catch-up over wine, since he or she probably spent the whole day working in the kitchen. If you enlist a partner in crime, like a sibling or cousin, the cleaning might not even take that long.
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Organize a game for the kids. If there are going to be kids at your Thanksgiving, chances are at some point they are going to be restless. Bored children are a recipe for disaster. So take them outside and start a game of football, kick the can, manhunt, ghost in the graveyard, or whatever else. Chances are as soon as you start playing you will not want to stop. If the weather does not permit you to take them outside, check out this site for some fun indoor crafts and activities.
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Organize a game for the grown-ups. For those of us who don’t enjoy watching the game, this is a fun way to hang out after dinner. You can bring a game like Apples to Apples or Taboo that’s fun for a big crowd, or something that uses teams. It will get different people talking and liven up a crowd immediately.
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Make a holiday drink. I love to cook, but around holiday time our kitchen space is at a premium. That’s why creating a fun new cocktail can be the way to go. There are countless websites and books devoted to making you a holiday mixed drink guru. This is a simple and enjoyable way to bring something to the table on Thanksgiving.
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Leave a letter. This is something I always recommend after a holiday. It lets your parents, especially moms, know how much you appreciate them. Holidays are a lot of hard work, and sometimes it leaves hosts feeling like they did all of that work for nothing. Let them know what you liked about it and how great they are on paper because let’s face it, getting a letter is awesome.
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