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Thanksgiving Hope-Tos


We are flying to Philadelphia for Thanksgiving today. We do this trip almost every year, and it’s a good chance to see lots of family. That said, traveling during the holidays with kids is a lot of work, and it’s easy to focus on the challenging aspects of the trip. We are still in the little kid phase, but every year it gets a little easier to travel, and this year I wanted to think about what things would make the trip feel fun for me too. I’m looking forward to:

*Seeing Wicked with my sister-in-law.

*Making sentimental recipes with my brother-in-law. We usually do most of the cooking for Thanksgiving, and it’s fun to prep a lot on Wednesday and catch up. I love making my grandma’s stuffing--it reminds me of being a little kid.

*Going on a walk and enjoying the woods. I love getting outside in an environment that is so different from the beach/chaparral area we live in.

*Taking time in the morning to do a morning routine. I want to take some introvert recharge time and do some of the things that make me feel grounded: journaling, exercising, or reading.

*Doing Friday Thanksgiving with my father-in-law. The day after Thanksgiving, we do a second meal with Joel’s dad. He usually orders some dishes from Gold Belly, and it’s really fun to see what type of dishes he picks out each year.

*Watching movies or reading in front of the fire.

If you celebrate Thanksgiving, what are some things you are looking forward to?
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Comments

  1. Mom of childrenNovember 22, 2025 at 10:01 AM

    I mainly look forward to my husband’s cooking!!! He is amazing in the kitchen, I just nod and clean up afterwards. He makes a mean turkey, great sweet potato’s, asparagus. Yum.

    ReplyDelete
  2. MarthaNovember 22, 2025 at 10:25 AM

    It sounds like it will be a wonderful trip, enjoy!

    ReplyDelete
  3. suzanne day by dayNovember 22, 2025 at 12:45 PM

    Traveling with kiddos is definitely challenging. I hope everything goes smoothly! I am looking forward to my mom's mashed potatoes. Nothing better!

    ReplyDelete
  4. StephanyNovember 22, 2025 at 3:04 PM

    Here's to a smooth, happy Thanksgiving! Last Thanksgiving was a bit of a letdown (my bday was on Thanksgiving and the whole day just felt weird) so I'm hoping this Thanksgiving goes a lot better. <3

    ReplyDelete
  5. JNovember 22, 2025 at 3:54 PM

    Oh, Philadelphia! We lived there for two years way back in the mid 90s. Now I’m remembering our Thanksgivings there, which were just the two of us, all of our family in California. Fun, just different.

    My MIL is 88, and went through hip surgery a few months ago. She was in SO MUCH pain prior, and is now feeling so much better, so I’m looking forward to celebrating with her, and seeing a few other family members we don’t get to see very often.

    I hope you have a great time!

    ReplyDelete
  6. ErnieNovember 23, 2025 at 1:19 PM

    Safe travels. I hope your flights are on time and filled with kid friendly passengers. Enjoy your visit. It sounds like you have a great list of things to look forward to.

    My SIL lives near O'Hare and she's hosting. Coach's siblings are awesome and I always enjoy connecting with them. Our kids enjoy their kids/adults too. I make a ton of pumpkin bread every year, so I guess that's the tradition. I had kids in competitive Irish dancing for over a decade and the Midwest Championships were always held T-giving weekend. Don't miss the anxiety that was linked to turkey day for years.

    ReplyDelete
  7. NGSNovember 23, 2025 at 5:35 PM

    I'm looking forward to not having to be in charge of cooking anything. I am to bring a salad. That's it! Yay!

    ReplyDelete
  8. SanNovember 23, 2025 at 5:50 PM

    That sounds so wonderful. I always wished we had a large family to visit for the holidays. I hope you can really enjoy the time on the other side of the country.

    ReplyDelete

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