Happy November! I love the holiday season and am so excited about the upcoming parties, decorations, and of course, seasonal food! As a whole, our culture loves to skip Thanksgiving and jump ahead to Christmas, but I love Thanksgiving and want to soak it all in during the month of November. To enjoy the entire holiday season, you should read my Holiday Parties Survival Guide! In the meantime, I have a few Thanksgiving traditions that are worth sharing that you may also enjoy!

Be thankful! That's right, even though the month of November is all about Thanksgiving, most people forget to stop and actually "give thanks." This season of my life has been marked by transition but I'm thankful that God is in control and knows my future! Take a few minutes each day to stop and give thanks for the blessings in your life; I'm a huge proponent of journaling and highly recommend writing things down that you're thankful for! Tell your friends and family that you appreciate them; sharing your gratitude is contagious and you may even help turn someone's day around.

During this busy season when family time is the focus, I try to take time to host a small "Friendsgiving" dinner which forces me to select a small group of people to connect with rather than large groups of people I small talk with at holiday parties. It's so important to narrow down the amount of friends you invest your time in, especially during the busy holiday season. I've been busy this week "pinning" Thanksgiving tablescape inspiration and I'm so excited to create a fun table for this year's meal! My post about How to Host a Friendsgiving is so helpful for anyone who wants to host their first Friendsgiving meal or even your family's Thanksgiving meal.

Be sure to enjoy the weather and schedule some firepit nights before it gets too cold to be outside altogether! Make the best of all of the activities you can during this season before we are fully in the Christmas season! Have a great November!