Thanksgiving is one American holiday that our family embraced when we moved here to the Northeast. Giving thanks is something universal and we as a family take this time to pause and reflect on the many things we are grateful for. We should count our blessings each day not only during Thanksgiving and be thankful in whatever circumstances we are in.

We always have a turkey dinner during Thanksgiving. This is a tradition I started in our second year here in the US. I always get a 9-12 lb. Butterball turkey to roast, the sides may vary each year depending on what my family would ask for. This year we stuck to the simple and traditional sides which are mashed potatoes, steamed green beans, wild rice with mushroom and cranberry sauce (the only thing new in our menu). For dessert we would either have pumpkin pie or pumpkin cheesecake. I made an exception last year when I served chocolate caramel cake instead.

To make this dinner special I always take extra effort in decorating our table. My kids have gotten used to this and always look forward to what our table would look like come Thanksgiving. This year I made use of the woven charger plates my sister sent me from the Philippines and used miniature pumpkins as placeholder.

thanksgiving2014-2

thanksgiving2014-15

thanksgiving2014-7

thanksgiving2014-10

thanksgiving2014-9

thanksgiving2014-12

thanksgiving2014-17

thanksgiving2014-22