Thanksgiving was always a blur of feasting and family time that I looked forward to each year. We began our day at my dad's parent's house seeing all his sisters and their children and spouses. My dad was a surprise baby, so all of his sisters and by extension, their children as well, were much older than the equivalents in our family. My brother and I were in elementary school when all these cousins were in their teens, driving and being 80's-awesome. It was a very traditional feast of turkey and pie and something called ambrosia salad, which I wanted to love but ended up sneaking into the trash every year.
After the meal, all the women gathered in the kitchen to chat and nosh on leftovers while the men gathered in the living room to watch the game and fall asleep in front of the t.v. All the men except my dad who never liked sports of any kind, a distaste which our entire family still shares and I have passed on to my own children. Come to think of it, I'm not really sure what my dad did. Maybe he found a quiet place to hide until the festivities had passed. That was certainly a something I did as I got older, but as a child, my brother and I tried to interact with the cousins and if we failed to be cool enough, which we pretty much always were, we dug out a cardboard box of ancient toys and busied ourselves wondering why anyone ever thought these things were fun until it was time to go.
Right about the time we could comfortably re-button our jeans, it was time to go to my mom's parents' house and feast again at the evening meal. This gathering was my favorite of the day because here the cousins were all the same age as us and while they were still cooler than us, in the absence of anyone else to play with, we had a wonderful time together at the kids' table. The kids' table, weather permitting was outside on the porch, as far away from the adults as humanly possible. I'm not sure if my mom's parents didn't like children or if they just thought we'd all have more fun if we were segregated by ages, but it did work because we could barely hear the laughter inside from all the laughter outside.
After the feast, if there was daylight enough, we took a walk in the fields and woods around their house, playing, talking, laughing. I don't remember us doing that little tradition where we stopped to say what we're thankful for, but looking back these memories are some of my most treasured and those days are something I am thankful for still today. Because of those wonderful holidays, I know how important it is to make the effort for the holidays, to go to all the places even if I'm tired, to get up at dawn and make the food when I'd rather sleep in, to choose something lovely and seasonal and dress up for the special days when they come around. We're making memories and it matters.
Since it's already winter here, I've decided to don a plaid flannel skirt with a crop pullover from YeMAK and some lovely Magenta Fishnet tights from WeLoveColors for that bright color pop. When it comes to sweaters I'm a longtime fan of MAK, but these crop pullovers are new to me and rapidly becoming a favorite for wearing with my high-waist skirts and jeans. When you wear a crop with high-waist jeans you don't have to worry about the tuck-in line.
And, you may recall that I tried some fishnets from WeLoveColors last autumn. WLC dyes all their tights in-house and they carry an amazing range of sizes, not to mention they also do dancewear, gloves, thigh-highs, and more. I haven't really worn fishnets often in my life because they're usually black and I have plenty of black tights already, but these colorful fishnets are my new favorite accessory. With just the perfect amount of color and coverage, they look amazing with skirts and shorts and they're so comfortable. There are more outfits with these tights in lots more colors on the way soon!
I wish you a very happy Thanksgiving, and whether you celebrate Thanksgiving or not, don't forget to be thankful for friends, family, and all you have as we head into the holiday season.
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