1075sf: thanksliving

I promise you this post will consist of decor for Thanksgiving.

I also promise that I will put heartfelt, reflective, and sincere thoughts in this post.

I hope you enjoy, particularly the latter.

Do you have your Christmas decor up yet? A tree, maybe? Or perhaps you have capitalized on the last bit of Fall weather and put your Christmas lights on your roof? I don't blame you, or shame you. The planner in me has tried to convince myself that it would be okay to start decorating a little early. "The holidays are already so busy" "It doesn't hurt to get started now" "Christmas will be here before you know it". I have tried very hard to hush this voice. This is the voice that will talk so loudly it will drown out my grateful heart.

So I told you that I love Halloween. And this is true, I really do. But Thanksgiving is also one of my favorite holidays. Do you know why? It is not because of the turkey, or any other food I eat too much of. It is because no matter how old you are, what religion you believe in (or don't believe in), what political party you support, or what color your skin is... we all have something we can be thankful for.

I'm going to get a bit religious for a minute, if that offends you, skip on ahead :)

One of the most powerful quotes I have ever heard was:

"What if you woke up today with only the things you thanked God for yesterday"

There are a whole lot of days I would wake up with a bunch of nothing. And you know what, it is because I do not always take the time to STOP and think about what I am truly thankful for.

Some women at my office started a weekly bible study a few years ago. I make an effort to attend each week, but my schedule does not always permit. This week I was able to attend and I am so happy because we talked about Thanksgiving - thanksliving. The idea that we should live our lives, each day, with a grateful and thankful heart. Thanksgiving comes around once a year, but we enjoy blessings each and every day. This is why I love this holiday, because it is a nice reminder of the way we should live our lives year round.

So please, even if for just a fleeting moment, stop all the noise and think about the things you are grateful for. Enjoy your time with family and friends, no matter how stressful it may be. Take pleasure in sharing a meal together, even if you hate the way so-and-so makes (insert traditional side dish here). Laugh. Play games. Look at old photos. Put down your cell phone. Be thankful.

Alright, I promised you photos...

I don't put out nearly as much decor for Thanksgiving as I do for Christmas and Halloween. It is a kind of a nice break between the two, lightens everything up a little bit before the house is full of Christmas-time-galore.

The main theme with my Thanksgiving decor is fall-type things (pumpkins, owls, etc.) and texture. I feel like Christmas is consumed with glitter and twinkling lights and shiny things. I really wanted to bring in some different textures before the glitter-takeover.