Yes we all know.. “things look different this year”! We have heard it a dozen times. 2020 has knocked normal on it’s butt and we are being asked to re-imagine our lives on the daily. In my opinion Thanksgiving was long overdue for a shake up. Here are some ideas on new ways to celebrate Thanks & Giving!

Get Creative and Have Fun

Cancelling your normal traditions can bum you out or you can embrace this rare moment and re-imagine what it is you truly want to celebrate and how.

Open a Jar of Gratitude:

• Join a Community Gratitude Tradition. My friend Adria created a community wide Gratitude Jar tradition in Manzanita. She places large glass jars in area businesses a week before Thanksgiving. Folks waiting in line at the register can write what they are grateful for on a slip of paper and add it to the jar. On Thanksgiving the papers are read out loud at a community gratitude gathering and everyone shares the love. This year the jar has gone virtual! You can to the community gratitude from wherever you are!

• Create your own group virtual gratitude jar. (This can be an email folks reply to instead of a webpage). It’s a great way to bring family and friends from afar together this year. You can gather the gratitude emails and jump on zoom call to read them aloud or share them back out in one group email on Thanksgiving day.

• Create your own personal gratitude jar that you add to daily. Decorate a pretty jar and place it where you see it daily. Add to it when you are feeling inspired and read from when you need a reminder.

Embrace small and cozy 

Go big or go home is now stay small and stay home. There is magic in simplicity and in having extra time to enjoy the moment.  

• Check out these recipes for chic Thanksgiving for two from Delish.

• Cozy up your space with these Danish Hygge tips to embrace winter!

• Play games. Here is my all time favorite (and celebrating Oregon weird) game pick for the holidays.

• Get out your Seed catalogs- replace television with the luscious act of imagining your spring plantings! Here is one of my favorites!

Get Outside the Box

Get outside and get off the screens. Nature is the best healer.

• Celebrate Get Outdoors Day instead of Black Friday!

  Go for a Nature Hike, Clean up your Garden, Ride your Bike, Hunt for Mushrooms

• Shop Local Saturday! If you gotta shop then go find your farmers markets, local independent bookstores, and small retailers. Amazon doesn’t need you but they sure do this year!

• Tea on the Trail. Take a thermos of your favorite tea and enjoy it in a special outdoor location! Our is the cliffs overlook at Oswald West state park!

  You get the idea! Keep it simple, local and fun.

If in doubt check in with your heart.

Do you feel expansive when you contemplate baking a pumpkin pie? Yes? Then go for it! No? Then skip it this year.

Give your stress a holiday and follow your bliss. You have permission to party like it’s 2020!