Every time we think about buying something for Thanksgiving, we stop and ask if we can reuse or repurpose something we already have instead. We're a Mexican-American family with four kids here in San Diego, and that one habit has done more for our holiday than anything we could pick up at the store. It makes us get creative as a family and solve problems together, and it really brings us together.
Here's how Thanksgiving week works at our house, and a few ideas you can borrow.
We make our own decorations
We like to make our own decorations and crafts as much as we can. Not because store-bought is bad. It's that the making is the fun part. When someone wants a table decoration, the question becomes "what do we already have that could work?" Then everybody has an opinion, and somebody comes up with an idea nobody else would have.
One of our favorites is painted jar candles. We take little Ball jars, paint them, and add a little twine or another decorative touch, with a little tea candle inside. It adds some nice warmth to the dining table.
If you want to try it, here are a few easy places to start:
- Paper turkey hands. Trace little hands for the feathers. Write a name on each one and they turn into place cards for the table.
- A thankful jar. Any clean jar works. Everyone writes down one thing they're thankful for each night of the week, and you read them all together on Thanksgiving.
Everybody picks the menu
We're not set on any particular dishes. Each year we let the family choose what we're going to have. Usually we all agree on one main dish, and then everybody picks their own side. Every year it's a different combination. Some of what's ended up on our table: turkey, ham with pineapple and cherries, baked mac and cheese, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, green bean casserole, and sweet potato casserole.
That takes a lot of pressure off. Nobody has to recreate the "right" Thanksgiving, and the kids get a real say in the meal. If your family argues about the menu every year, try it. Agree on the main, then let each person own a side.
If you want a job for the little ones, baking together is a good one. Pumpkin bread, apple crisp, or a pie. A little flour on the floor is part of the fun.
What Baja California Sur taught me about Thanksgiving
When I first met my wife in Baja California Sur, where she's from a small town, it was cool to see they celebrated Thanksgiving too. They didn't have the things we take for granted here, like big fat turkeys at the grocery store or boxes of stuffing. So they used what they had: favorite dishes, sometimes very simple things, from people with very modest budgets.
Maybe not so much to show, but everybody does what they can and shows up with something.
They don't care how little they have or how many people there are. They always figure out a way to share. Just like here in the States, every city, town, and neighborhood is different, and this was just my experience where my wife is from. But seeing how humble and giving people were really stood out to me. I came from a place where we would fight over who was going to sit where at the table.
That's a big part of why our Thanksgiving looks the way it does now. Less about having it all, more about everybody bringing something.
After dinner
Once the dishes are done, a family game night is an easy way to keep everyone at the table a little longer. Board games or cards, and the winner picks the leftovers.
One quick thing before guests arrive
If you're hosting this year, take a minute to look at the tub and shower caulk in the guest bathroom. If you see black spots that won't wipe off, that's mold, and it's worth replacing, especially if anyone coming has allergies or a sensitive immune system.
If something around the house needs a look before the holiday, text me a photo at (619) 815-7588 or send it through the contact page and I'll take a look.
From our family to yours, Happy Thanksgiving.
Preston & family