Although conceptually, a day dedicated to gratitude sounds wonderful, the problematic historical background and focus on gravy as opposed to giving thanks makes it a bit less than ideal. I’m all for the food and family time, but I’ve also never met anyone who claims Thanksgiving to be their favorite holiday. Personally, although my family has always taken part in this turkey and stuffing fueled day, it never quite held the same weight or hype that other celebrations have. Thanksgiving, on its own, is not at all thrilling and so I decided to come up with some little ideas that could potentially spice up the holiday.
- Celebrate Potluck Style
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My family usually celebrates Thanksgiving potluck style and I would argue it is the superior way to do big holiday meals. Not only does it take some pressure off of the hosts in that they don’t have to prepare absolutely everything, but it also makes the meal itself more interesting. You get different flavor profiles and different styles (and perhaps levels of skill) of cooking.
Someone would be in charge of the desserts, someone gave responsibility for the turkey, and another person assuring there are various drinks and snacks present before and after the meal. Of course, this setup isn’t specific to just the traditional Thanksgiving food and can (and should) be applied to all cuisines. It just makes more sense to split up the work so that in place of a panicked preparation by one poor soul, the struggle and frustration of the holiday season are split between people.
- Turkey themed everything
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Potlucks are pretty normal, this one is a bit less so. I’m not sure why this idea popped into my mind but to me, an easy and unique way of making this year’s Thanksgiving celebration different than those prior would be to make everything (within reason) turkey-themed. It’s not unusual to see the occasional turkey-shaped or themed paraphernalia during this holiday season. From cupcakes to pies, to decorations, this festive bird constantly decorates our food and homes.
But my question is, why do these themes have to end with desserts and table cloth patterns? Why not establish a rule that every bit of food on the table has to be turkey-shaped? Sure, it’s cool that the seasonal carrot cake has a badly frosted turkey face imprinted on the top but take it a step further. Mold the stuffing into a bird shape, have a beak sticking out of the mashed potatoes, include some form of (hopefully edible) feathers to the green bean casserole. Honestly, I don’t think would accomplish much beyond potentially surprising or alarming some guests but I do think it would add a level of thrill and enjoyability that past years might have lacked.
- have an autumnal cocktail
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As all the grandchildren approach or have attained legal drinking age, my family has gotten into the habit of making an official autumnal-themed cocktail to accompany our Thanksgiving meal. It’s usually served alongside hors d’oeuvres and depending on the person, can be sipped on delicately throughout the rest of the evening or drained quickly and efficiently to assist in dealing with family stress.
Personal favorites from the past have been spiced hot apple cider with Fireball, apple Moscow mules, and some strong cranberry mixture that my grandma was responsible for making. The exact ingredients for that one remain a mystery to this day.
- have a gratefulness circle
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Some friends and I did this at a recent Friendsgiving. At first, sitting in a circle and listing off things you’re grateful for feels very elementary school. However, it ended up being a lovely and uplifting experience. There’s a lot of bad in the world and this activity is all about actively ignoring the sh*t show that always seems to be going on and focusing on the positives.
Conceptually, it’s extremely simple. You go around in a circle and every person has to say something or someone they’re grateful for. Answers vary depending on the group of people. There really aren’t many rules beyond expressing the things and people in your life that make you happy. After the general round, we went around the circle a couple more times, saying something we appreciated about someone else in the circle.
Considering my friend group is slightly prone to sarcasm and making fun of each other, this was slightly less wholesome than it sounds but enjoyable and validating nonetheless. It was really sweet to hear some of the things people were saying and I left the Friendsgiving dinner feeling a bit more positive than when I had first arrived.
Overall, we can probably all agree that Thanksgiving tends to involve more towards shoving vast quantities of delicious food into our faces than the act of giving thanks (although this might be specific to my family). However, there are some small things that you can do to make Thanksgiving just a bit more exciting. Perhaps if you utilize every single one of these concepts, Thanksgiving will somehow become your new favorite holiday.