American Thanksgiving; makes you think of a table full of food and surrounded by family and friends who happily exchange stories and memories among one another.
That concept is an image we are sold constantly during the holiday season.
Every ad for products to be sold for the Thanksgiving holiday sells itself by playing off of the sweet emotion which comes from the idea of a house full of family and friends who gather together in love and appreciation of one another.
The reality of this kind of Thanksgiving is more of a stress producer in our lives, rather than a relaxing and happy occasion.
We don't have to explain why to most of you; you know what we mean.
The pressure of prepping an extravagant and monstrous meal? The stress of travel on Thanksgiving day? What about the chaos that ensues when you get Auntie Sue, Aunt Jo and your mother all in the same room?
For those reasons and more, we wanted to (re)think Thanksgiving.
Instead of being stressed, we aimed to spend meaningful time with the some of the ones we loved the most.
So there was no turkey. No big meal. No massive get together.
With this goal in mind, it was time to head out to a quiet and simple cabin where we would spend the night sharing a few drinks and roasting hot dogs and marshmallows; keeping it as simple as can be.
The result was incredible. As a matter of fact, it was the most enjoyable Thanksgiving we had ever experienced. We decided to unplug for a long weekend and enjoy time with the ones we wanted to be with.
There was no drama. No dry turkey covered in cranberries. No stress.
As we sat around our little fire, munching on hot dogs, we were thankful for the stars above our heads and the warmth from sitting close to one another.
Next Thanksgiving, don't worry about trying to create the perfect family environment with a beautifully decorated house, perfectly cooked turkey and happy guests who get along.
Look around and you will see the ones who are most important to you; spend Thanksgiving being around them. Even if you don't get away for the weekend, just make that 4th Thursday of November a quiet and peaceful day with no big meals or parties. Take the day to halt your crazy schedule for 24 hours and appreciate the life that we, all too often, take for granted.
Our culture has lost sight of being thankful during Thanksgiving by way of our traditions and the standards we set ourselves to in order to uphold them.
Truth be told, here at Touch of Flair, we are not (re)thinking anything; we just want to bring Thanksgiving back to its roots.