Classically Abby - How To Have An Amazing TRADITIONAL Thanksgiving ⧸⧸ You got this, ladies!

00:00:00.000 Hello Classic Crew and welcome to today's video where we're going to be talking about

00:00:04.520 five ways to have a classic Thanksgiving.

00:00:12.860 Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. It's an amazing time to spend with family

00:00:17.520 and reflect on the things that we're grateful for and the food is great. Although I will say

00:00:23.280 I'm not a fan of turkey so let me know in the comments. Do you like turkey? Are you not a fan

00:00:28.700 of turkey? I feel like it's a very polarizing topic. Personally, not a huge fan, but like stuffing

00:00:34.840 is great and pecan pie is amazing. Also leave in the comments whether you say pecan or pecan or pecan.

00:00:43.100 I don't remember how many ways there are to say pecan, but I say pecan pie. That's how I say it.

00:00:49.300 So I'd love to know your thoughts on that. But in any case, I think that we can have a very classic

00:00:55.520 Thanksgiving. There are ways that we can make Thanksgiving feel even more special and embrace

00:01:01.380 the tradition of the holiday. And that makes the holiday feel so much more fun and so much more

00:01:07.260 memorable. So I really want to talk about five ways that we can embrace the tradition of the holiday

00:01:13.480 and make it even more classic by using these five techniques and tips. So before we get into today's

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00:01:59.420 So now that we're through that, let's get into today's video. The first way to have a more classic

00:02:05.700 Thanksgiving is to actually think about what you're grateful for. I think a lot of the time we get

00:02:11.580 wrapped up in the situation of Thanksgiving. The fact that there's so much family around and there's a lot of

00:02:17.440 preparation to do. But we don't remember what Thanksgiving is really about, which is thinking about the things that

00:02:23.440 we're grateful for and that we're thankful for. And that is probably my favorite part of Thanksgiving. Besides the

00:02:29.720 wonderful food and the wonderful family, it's also about remembering what you're grateful for and thinking about those

00:02:35.680 things. And it's a way to reflect on the best things that have happened to you over the course of the year.

00:02:41.040 So for example, this year, I could definitely go down a path of thinking about the many awful things that have

00:02:47.960 happened. But Thanksgiving asks me to reflect on all the wonderful things that have happened. I'm

00:02:53.620 pregnant. We have a roof over our heads. We can afford to eat. We have good friends. We are very, very lucky people.

00:03:01.820 And it just is such a wonderful way to remember that we really do have what we need. And that's

00:03:10.560 such a wonderful thing to remember and to reflect on. And it is funny to go from Thanksgiving to like

00:03:17.020 Black Friday where you're thankful for some things and then immediately shopping for all the stuff that

00:03:21.660 you think you need. But it's funny. My family's never been Black Friday people. So I've never felt like

00:03:28.500 I've needed anything on Black Friday. Of course, if there are things you need on Black Friday, get them. And being

00:03:34.560 grateful doesn't mean that you can't recognize the hardships or the things that you do still need. But it is also

00:03:42.240 just such a good reminder and such a classic thing and such a wonderful way to embrace tradition to reflect on the

00:03:49.540 things that you are so happy to have and that we are lucky to have. So I did a podcast on my sub stack about how you can

00:03:58.040 actually be more grateful. I did a whole podcast, three ways that you can be more grateful before

00:04:03.880 Thanksgiving. And if you're interested in listening to that, make sure to subscribe to my sub stack

00:04:08.540 newsletter because I put some thought into ways that you can start incorporating the practice of being

00:04:14.060 grateful into your life. Number two is to cook with family and friends. Now, if you are hosting at your

00:04:21.440 house or even if you're going to someone else's house, ask if you can cook with other people. Cooking is

00:04:27.220 such a wonderful way to bring people together. And I know that from personal experience and kind of

00:04:32.580 from my mother's example, we didn't really ask people to cook with us growing up. My mom would 0.95

00:04:38.100 ask the kids, but we didn't have like families come over and cook together. And I still am not the best

00:04:44.660 about asking for help when I'm cooking. But I've been thinking a lot more lately about how much I would

00:04:49.920 love to cook with friends and to make it into a kind of process that we share. And that to me is

00:04:57.400 such a classic, beautiful thing to be able to work together to create something that you can all enjoy

00:05:03.000 and just kind of moving around the kitchen and enjoying each other's company and preparing food

00:05:07.600 together is one of the most beautiful things that we can do. So on Thanksgiving, whether you're hosting

00:05:13.400 or someone else's, either ask people that you love to come over and help make it into a day or ask the

00:05:20.100 hostess if she'd be comfortable with you coming over to help. Because not only is it a kindness, not

00:05:24.840 only are you giving her the gift of another set of hands, but it's also kind of a way to elongate the

00:05:30.980 festivities of the day. Because now you're not showing up at three o'clock and eating, you're showing

00:05:36.040 up at noon and helping prepare. And I think that that is such a lovely way to embrace Thanksgiving,

00:05:43.160 to make it feel really tender and loving, and even feel more classic. Number three is make your

00:05:51.820 favorite pie. I associate Thanksgiving with pie. I don't think I eat pie like any other time of the

00:05:59.820 year. But Thanksgiving is pie day. And if you're going to have pie, make it your favorite. Now,

00:06:06.580 there are a ton of pies that people love. I personally only like one. And I know that that

00:06:11.720 sounds funny, but I'm not a fan of most pie. I know there's lemon meringue, there's key lime,

00:06:16.940 there's pumpkin, which is very seasonally appropriate. And there's apple pie. But I only like

00:06:23.940 pecan pie. But whatever you like, take the time to prepare it. Now, you can buy a ready-made crust

00:06:30.580 at the store. That's what my mom always did growing up. But recently, I've been considering

00:06:34.460 trying to make my own crust rather than purchase it. Make the pie something like the centerpiece

00:06:41.060 of the meal. And even though it's the dessert, even though turkey is the shining star of the day,

00:06:48.160 pie is such a unique thing that we have that really I look forward to all year.

00:06:53.080 So if you can make a pie that you love and that you know people around you will love,

00:06:57.600 take the time to do that. Find something you love. Maybe ask other family members which ones

00:07:01.980 they like. That's what my mom always did. She would always make two or three different kinds

00:07:05.980 of pie. She would always make pumpkin and apple and pecan. And I just thought that was really special.

00:07:11.620 So making pie is such a classic thing to do for this holiday. Definitely take advantage of

00:07:18.200 Thanksgiving to enjoy some pie. Number four is if you are the one hosting, make sure to make everyone

00:07:24.620 feel at home. And if you're not the one hosting, make sure that you are helping the hostess.

00:07:29.920 Something I really want to start doing more is hosting dinner parties and taking joy and pleasure

00:07:35.340 in setting up the eating space. I love tablescapes. I love the way that people decorate their tables to host.

00:07:44.160 And I would love to start incorporating that practice into my own practice when I host.

00:07:50.400 So it doesn't mean I'm going to have a million different kinds of plates. I know some people

00:07:54.560 will literally buy like different settings. I mean, who can afford that? But just like finding some

00:08:01.560 pretty things to throw on the table and always making it look really decorative and inviting,

00:08:07.200 I think it's such a beautiful way to A, enjoy it myself, take joy in that beauty of decorating.

00:08:14.500 But it also makes my guests feel like, wow, you really took the time to prepare. You really wanted

00:08:20.960 us to be here and you were ready for us to be here. And making your guests feel at home on the holiday

00:08:26.140 is the best thing ever. So one way to do that is to create a beautiful tablescape. Doing something

00:08:31.940 like that, like the decorations I have behind me, that will really make people feel ready for the

00:08:37.340 holiday and feel welcomed. Another thing you can do is have good beverages for people to drink.

00:08:43.680 Whether that mean that you have alcoholic beverages that people can enjoy or just some seltzers and

00:08:50.000 sparkling cider, that can make people feel like, wow, they had drinks on hand. It's not just a spur of

00:08:55.960 the moment thing that they invited us. Now, are there times that you can have a wonderful event where it

00:09:01.120 is spur of the moment? Absolutely. I do that very often, but it is also really, really nice to have

00:09:08.400 something that you've prepared for and you've planned for. And Thanksgiving is like the perfect

00:09:12.340 holiday for that because there's so many things you can buy decor wise that will make it feel really

00:09:16.920 special and also things that you can do to prepare in advance. So making sure that you have those drinks

00:09:24.160 on hand is another way you can make sure people feel really welcomed in your home. And the last thing

00:09:30.020 that you can do if you're hosting people is make sure that you have a few little snacks for people

00:09:35.740 to kind of have throughout the evening. Because usually Thanksgiving is a pretty long day. So it's

00:09:40.800 not just the meal and then people leave. Usually it's the meal followed by hanging out, watching

00:09:46.240 something, and having those snacks on hand. Whether that mean you're going to make a charcuterie board

00:09:51.160 later in the afternoon. I would make the kosher version without the cured meats. Or if you just want

00:09:56.880 to have a few like pretty chocolates and some pretzels or popcorn, stuff like that just to make sure that

00:10:03.620 everyone stays full. Now if you aren't the one hosting, which I think many of us are not, I'm not

00:10:09.640 hosting personally, make sure that you ask the hostess what you can do to help. So if that means

00:10:15.040 setting the table, if that means helping with the food like I mentioned earlier, if that means helping

00:10:20.460 clean up afterward, just being somebody who can really, they can depend on and they can look to

00:10:26.120 you to help make everyone feel at home, that is a really lovely thing to know that you can ask someone

00:10:31.960 to help you. And of course you'll be ready to do it. And it is very classic. And it does embrace the

00:10:37.860 tradition of being thankful that someone else is hosting, that you get to be in their house and

00:10:42.280 participate in this holiday. Last but not least, at the end of this holiday, set up for the next holiday

00:10:48.580 so the festivities can continue. So if you are Christian and you are celebrating Christmas,

00:10:54.140 make sure at the end of Thanksgiving, it might be nice to just set up that Christmas tree right

00:10:58.880 that weekend. So there's this kind of flow from Thanksgiving into the Christmas season, if you

00:11:04.620 haven't already set up your Christmas tree. But just making sure that you don't have that little bit

00:11:11.040 of like down after a big holiday. I think that's very common is this feeling of like, oh, there was all

00:11:16.480 this buildup and then you're like, your emotions kind of fall down. But if you recognize that the

00:11:22.060 next thing that's coming is another holiday, then you can set up right afterwards and it gives you

00:11:27.040 another thing to look forward to. If you're Jewish this year, Hanukkah is the Sunday after Thanksgiving, 0.93

00:11:33.100 which is super early in the year. So setting up for Hanukkah right after Thanksgiving is a really

00:11:38.360 beautiful thing to do as well. You can pull out your decorations or pull out your Hanukkiah, 0.91

00:11:43.000 your menorah, and start to set that up so that you again are looking forward to another holiday.

00:11:49.360 And something I really love about this as a concept is that it does kind of prevent that emotional

00:11:54.540 down that you might experience after such a big holiday because you are just ready and excited for

00:12:01.000 the next thing. So those are my five ways to have an incredibly classic Thanksgiving. Let me know in the

00:12:07.140 comments what you think. If there's anything that you're doing for Thanksgiving this year that you

00:12:11.120 think is really classic, I'd love to know. Thank you so much for watching today's video. And if you

00:12:15.640 aren't already subscribed to my channel and notification bells and Substack newsletter and

00:12:19.420 all that stuff, make sure to do it right this second. And as well, if you're not following me on social

00:12:24.080 media, it's classicallyabby absolutely everywhere. Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, you can find

00:12:30.760 me everywhere. So thank you guys so much for watching and I will see you guys in my next video. Bye!

00:12:41.120 Bye!

Classically Abby - November 22, 2021

How To Have An Amazing TRADITIONAL Thanksgiving ⧸⧸ You got this, ladies!

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