The BEST Parts of Thanksgiving!
Plus, announcing this month's Movie Club selection...
NO Zoom “Girl Chat” This Week!
Because Thursday is Thanksgiving and many of us will be with our families, there will be NO Zoom “girl chat” this week. I hope you have a wonderful holiday with your loved ones!
Hello lovely friends! I hope your week got off to a good start. In our last discussion thread, it made me so happy to see that you all enjoyed receiving three emails each week, so I shall continue in that vein so you get the most out of your Substack subscriptions!
This past weekend, we went out with a few of our friends to celebrate my birthday a few weeks late, which was so much fun. We got dressed up, went to a fancy place - we even carpooled there to add to the enjoyment! And my mom put Mr. Baby to sleep for the first time without me, and he did great. On the other end of the spectrum, the following day I ran to five stores to do a whole bunch of errands with Mr. Baby in the rain. It was CRAZY - but I was so proud of myself that I did it! Is this what winning motherhood feels like?
In other news, this week is Thanksgiving! Who is excited? Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays, not just because Jacob and I got engaged the night before back in 2017. It will be our five-year engage-versary (is that a thing?) this Wednesday night and I can hardly believe it.
Even outside of that, though, I’ve always loved Thanksgiving because it’s so warm and cozy and spent with the people in your life you truly care about. Since getting married, we have gone to my in-laws for Thanksgiving, which I’ve really enjoyed. Usually, we go to Jacob’s sister for the weekend and spend time with her family. We have a nice lunch together and spend the rest of the time in our pajamas at her house, lounging, chatting, and enjoying one another’s company. But this year, we are doing something very different - we are all going to Orlando, Florida and going to Universal Studios and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter! I’ve never been and I. Can’t. WAIT!
The truth is, Thanksgiving is just a really special day. And today I want to focus on the absolute best parts. So here we go!
Being with family. Gosh, there’s something special about having your whole family together, isn’t there? Getting to go to the place you call home, falling into the embrace of your parents and siblings, seeing your nieces and nephews - all of it means so much. Thanksgiving is unique in that way - everyone gets to take those days off of work or school, and everyone knows they only have a few short days together to be grateful for one another. It’s really one of the warmest holidays I know for that exact reason. When I think of Thanksgiving, I think of warmth and hominess and love. Now, I know that for some, being with family is stressful - the relationships are strained, or people disagree politically, or someone is commenting on your weight or relationship status. But I pray that for those of you with that problem, you can see past the stress of it, let it roll off your back, and try and allow the love that might be harder to see to wash over you instead. Easier said than done, but worth it if its possible!
Delicious food. Okay, I’ll admit. I’m not a fan of turkey. But outside of the turkey, the food at Thanksgiving is the best comfort food there is! Mashed potatoes? Check. Stuffing? Check. Green beans? Check. Mmm…my mouth is watering just thinking about it! Plus, the whole act of cooking with your mom or sister or aunt, helping prepare the food with love, plating it and bringing it to the table - it’s such a lovely experience. And everyone knows they’re going to eat a ton, so nobody judges anyone else when they put on their stretchy pants!
Choosing something fun to wear. Speaking of stretchy pants, I love that you can choose something fun to wear on Thanksgiving! Are you going to a dressier meal? Find a pretty fall dress to wear and feel beautiful. Are you all getting cozy at home? Throw on a comfy sweater and a pair of jeans for a cozier outfit. And after the meal? Well, you’d better all get in matching pajamas! I’ll take any excuse to wear something fun. I don’t get enough opportunities to wear special outfits, so I’m always up for selecting something I love to wear! Thanksgiving is the perfect opportunity to wear something that makes you happy.
Being relaxed in a homey environment. Often when we think of relaxing, I think many of us picture ourselves reading or watching a show, perhaps taking a bath, being alone. With family, we often are out doing things or running around. But on Thanksgiving? You’re relaxing with your family at home. You’re all cozy and laidback. There doesn’t have to be a ton of structured activity. Instead, everyone is just enjoying one another, watching and playing with the kids, eating yummy food, drinking delicious wine, and embracing slow living (my favorite thing!).
Being grateful. Of course, the most important part of Thanksgiving is showing gratitude. We are so grateful to be living in this great country, to have our families, to be one nation under God, to have what we have and to be healthy alongside. Going around the table and sharing what we are all grateful for is so wonderful, and it’s a good reminder for the rest of the year. It forces us to see just how much we truly have and what a blessing it is to be alive. It does make me laugh, though, that the day after we show how thankful we are, we run off to the Black Friday sales to buy more things! But I suppose we could say that we are grateful that we have the means to purchase items we deem necessary. And, to be honest, we all are truly blessed.
What do you love about Thanksgiving! Share your thoughts in the comments below!
This Month’s Book Club Selection!
This month we are reading non-fiction (we switch up month-to-month) and the book we will be reading is…The Lifegiving Home: Creating A Place of Belonging and Becoming! I’ve been wanting to read some books about homemaking, and this looks perfect. It’s from a Christian perspective, so for my Christian followers, I think you’ll really enjoy that part of it! I can’t wait to discuss it with you all.
ANNOUNCING: This Month’s Movie Club Selection
Our Movie Club discussion was great this past month and I’m so looking forward to the next one! This month we will be watching Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, a fun Marilyn Monroe film I’ve never seen. If you’d like to watch it with your friends, have them join the fun by becoming premium subscribers!
What You Might Have Missed At Classically Abby…
Quote of the Week:
“Life is partly what we make it, and partly what it is made by the friends we choose.” — Tennessee Williams
Classic Style Inspo
I didn’t ever think I could pull off a wide-legged cargo pant, but these pants nip in at the waist so well, they are really flattering! If you’re looking for a wide-legged pant, find one that fits your waist perfectly - not an elastic waistband, but an actual buttoned waistband that tailors to your body. It will make you look so chic!
Things I’ve Been Loving: Kindle Oasis
I recently purchased a Kindle and I have been loving it! This kindle is a little different than the old ones because it has buttons on the side, which I much prefer. It also has a warm light so you can read at night without it hurting your eyes. I love that I can carry so many books with me at all times, and when I’m nursing, it only requires one hand to turn pages, which is a game changer!
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For those of us living away from our loved ones, Thanksgiving means appreciating community and having friends over. My husband is a veteran and when he was serving, Thanksgiving meant appreciating the community he had overseas, even when he was away from me and his family. Happy Thanksgiving!
I'm Canadian, so Thanksgiving has past a month ago, but I love this sentiment! I live far away from my family, unfortunately, so Thanksgiving for us is always about having friends over and spending time with the people we know and care about in our current place in life. I'm also Greek, so I skip the turkey and make a big roast lamb for most holidays and it is always a bit! This year, we had 6 people over and had to get a second table, but the day was wonderful and filled with games, laughter, and friends.
Have a happy Thanksgiving, Americans!!