Well, it seems that Thanksgiving has already come and gone. Isn’t it crazy how quickly that happens? I’m a little sad that December is about to begin. As much as I LOVE Christmas, I am growing increasingly tired of cold weather, which does not bode well for the upcoming season of snow and ice (or in Kentucky’s case, rain and temperatures hovering just above freezing).
But for now, let’s reflect on the family Thanksgiving celebration. We traveled to Louisville on Thursday for two family feasts. Eric and I typically have 3 Thanksgiving meals in one day, but with his parents now living in San Diego, we couldn’t quite squeeze in that 4-hour flight. So we dined with my mom’s side of the family for lunch, and my dad’s side for dinner. I’m typically not a huge fan of Thanksgiving food (I know, I know. Insert your ‘WHAT?!’ here), but I tried to be a bit more adventurous in my eating this year and try some things I usually skip. So this Thanksgiving I tried stuffing, a dozen different casseroles, turkey, and pumpkin pie. And while most of this tasted good, I still probably ate less on Thanksgiving than I would on any other day of the year. Go figure.
Aside from eating, Thanksgiving is also the time we plan the Smith Family Christmas Eve extravaganza. We started this weird tradition several years ago of having a themed Christmas with my dad’s side of the family. I honestly don’t remember how this began, but it seems to have stuck, and I absolutely love it. Past themes include a Bohemian Christmas (we still haven’t really figured that one out), My Big Fat Ancient Greek Christmas, Pirate Christmas, and Rootin’ Tootin’ Cowboys and Indians Christmas. These celebrations involve costumes, theme-related games, and themed foods. Here’s a little peak into our past celebrations:
Bohemian Christmas:
This was our first attempt at a theme, and we didn’t really have any idea what Bohemian encompassed. So we made our own pizzas. I couldn’t find any photos of this event.
My Big Fat Ancient Greek Christmas:
Togas were required. We played Greek games, including a Parthenon-building contest (using Legos, of course). I believe we ate gyros.
Pirate Christmas:
We stretched the creativity with the food and ate sub sandwiches (submarines…ocean…pirates…) and soup. Eye patches, vests, bandanas, and swords were involved.
Rootin’ Tootin’ Cowboys and Indians Christmas:
We didn’t assign the parts, so I think Grandma and I ended up being the only Indians. Games included a teepee-building contest (using play-doh). Dessert was an Oreo cake in the shape of a cowboy boot.
So this year, after much discussion (and arguing), the Smith Family Christmas Eve theme is….
I’ll Be Gnome For Christmas.
Get excited.
In other Thanksgiving news, my parents came back to Lexington to stay with us for a few days. We walked down to Light Up Lexington, where we watched Santa and the mayor flip the switch to light up Triangle Park. We also took my parents to a few of our favorite Lexington hotspots, including Magee’s Bakery, Smashing Tomato, Joseph Beth, and Shaker Village, which is just about the cutest little place you’ve ever seen. Eric and I have been a few times before, but this was the first time we had wandered around the grounds and visited the animals. I’m not really an animal lover, but I think barnyard animals are precious. Oh, to have a farm.
We spent most of the weekend taking pictures of random things (for those of you who think I am shutter happy, you should meet my mom) and eating too much food. A perfect way to spend Thanksgiving break.
Hope you all had wonderful holidays!
-Ally
[…] ago, we decided to have themed Christmas parties (you can read about past Christmas celebrations here). This year had the exciting theme of I’ll Be Gnome For Christmas, which means that, yes, we […]