Celebrating Good With New York Life
If Thanksgiving is the best thing ever then Friendsgiving is the bester thing ever. I often joke (not so jokingly) that I collect awesome people. 40 or so of those awesome people gather together at my home the Sunday after Thanksgiving for a feast and a celebration of thanks. We’re thankful for each other. We’re thankful for the good that has happened to us all during the past year. Most of all, we’re thankful for a chance to gather around the kitchen island and just be.
Thanksgiving is for celebrating good with the family you were born into or married into.
Friendsgiving is for celebrating good with the family you’ve chosen.
There are a lot of things about Friendsgiving that make it the bester, but here are top 5 reasons I look forward to it more than any other holiday.
1. The food is AAAAAMAZING. One of my awesome people is a professional chef, so she is in charge of the critical menu items. The rest of us focus on making what we excel at making. For some, that’s a dessert that is to die for or maybe an appetizer that delights. Others specialize in making sure the plates and napkins are plentiful. In the end, we wind up with a menu that will leave you dreaming of surgically implanting a third or fourth stomach because there is never enough room to enjoy it all.
The most important part, though, is that no one judges any of it. Grandma Norma isn’t there to make a sour face when she discovers there is goat cheese in the mashed potatoes.
2. The company is really good at picking the right conversations. While Friendsgiving is spent with the people you trust the most, you don’t have to worry about the conversations veering into those delicate areas. There aren’t any questions about when you’re going to have another baby or when are you going to get married or any of that stuff.
Your friends know that you are incredibly grateful for that baby in the family room, even if she did show up a bit later than ideal. They won’t poke at that sore spot. In fact, they’re celebrating that new life every bit as much as you are.
3. Your kids are truly free to be who they are. You are gathered with the people who are in the trenches of parenthood with you. They are the people you text when the baby is screaming, the dog is barking, the toddler is climbing the walls, and your husband is hiding in the garage “working” on something. They understand your frustrations and they know kids aren’t perfect because they are living the same wonderfully imperfect life.
Aunt Marcia might shoot you the side eye when your toddler flings mashed potatoes on the ceiling. At Friendsgiving, the conversation will be about appreciation that the mashed potatoes match the ceiling’s paint color.
4. Speaking of kids, I don’t have to wonder what they’re doing or where they are because they are also with some of their favorite friends. Alexis positively adores her multitude of cousins and enjoys every minute with them, but it is different than when she hangs out with kids she has considered besties since she was born. She sees them more and knows them better, and so do I. Everyone is comfortable and happy. If things get out of hand, there is no doubt that one of the moms will say the just right words to send the situation in the right direction. And nobody will be offended.
5. There is no expectation of a Pinterest-perfect celebration. When my crew gathers together at my home, the focus is on the food and the conversation. Nobody judges the ring of mildew in the toilet or the cat fur tumbleweed under the table. They don’t care that we’re using paper plates and plastic forks. Together is what matters.
Happy Holidays, y’all. I hope you get an opportunity to spend a day celebrating good, be it Friendsgiving or any other random day of the year.
I’m partnering with New York Life to Keep Good Going and we need your help. New York Life is donating 25 meals to Feeding America for every tweet that includes #KeepGoodGoing and #FeedingAMillion. Tweet about your favorite holiday tradition or memory using the hashtags and you’ll trigger that donation. 25 meals for just one tweet. You can also visit New York Life’s website to see ways others are celebrating the good in their lives and upload your own photo to share with others. (Through 1/9/15, New York Life will donate $2.50 for each approved post, with a minimum of $25K & a maximum of $100K. See full terms and conditions at NewYorkLife.com/CelebratingGood. Find info about Feeding America at feedingamerica.org.
As a thank you for Celebrating Good, I have a $50 Visa Gift card and a $50 donation on behalf of BlogHer in the winner’s name to Feeding America up for grabs. Just leave a comment below telling me your favorite holiday tradition and you will be entered to win.
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2. Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: “#SweepstakesEntry”; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
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This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. The notification email will come directly from BlogHer via the sweeps@blogher email address. You will have 72 hours to respond; otherwise a new winner will be selected.
The Official Rules are available here.
This sweepstakes runs from 12/1/2014 – 12/31/2014.
Monday, December 1, 2014
Reader Comments (177)
https://twitter.com/susan1215/status/544265301010161664
I love baking goodies for family and friends.
tweeted
https://twitter.com/rubylorikeet/status/544382176482308096
I ALWAYS ENJOYED HANGING THE MISTLE TOE, BUT I KNOW THAT'S NOT EVERYONE'S FAVORITE LOL
2ND ENTRY TWEET https://twitter.com/kytah00/status/545365551510331392
On Christmas Eve we all open up a present, which is always new PJs. It's something we started when the kids were little.
Making traditional dishes for holiday meals and including foods I ate growing up.
Going caroling with my kids.
We always have fondue for dinner on Christmas Eve and then go to the candle light service at church.
My favorite holiday tradition is driving around to look at decorated houses with my family
I really enjoy making cookies with my family. Even my husband joins us in baking.
I tweeted: https://twitter.com/peg42/status/545670051739615233
Thanks so much and Happy Holidays.
We love making cookies together as a family.
Thanks for the chance to win!
wildorchid985 AT gmail DOT com
tweet--https://twitter.com/WildOrchid985/status/545714625858535425
wildorchid985 AT gmail DOT com
We love to drive around and look at the lights.I also bake holiday treats and donate to the local food bank.Happy Holidays!
Tweeted
https://twitter.com/tatzgrrly/status/545740861590339584
I love going carroling with my church
My favorite holiday tradition was sitting and watching those old oil bubble lights on the Christmas tree.
Tweet: https://twitter.com/MerebearStare/status/545966660981882880?s=01
Every year our friends participate in a Christmas Cookie and Beer Exchange. We all have fun and walk away with alcohol and a nice mix of cookies. I also love watching Christmas Crazy grow each year, and either donating to that or Toys for Tots.
I love decorating the Christmas tree with my family
My favorite holiday tradition is spending time with family and friends.
My favorite tradition is our annual family photo. I love making it my laptop background for the year!
My favorite tradition is driving around and viewing homes that are decorated for Christmas.
thank you
Tweet https://twitter.com/JalapenoMama/status/546090822010011648
My favorite holiday tradition is loading the family in the car, putting on Christmas music and heading out to look at the local light displays.
My favorite holiday tradition is baking Christmas cookies with my daughter like I did with my mom and grandmother
My favorite tradition is having one gift for the kids on Christmas Eve from the Elves. So cute to see them so excited.
Marathon candy making/cookie baking session with my nieces.
I like decorating the christmas tree with the family
My favorite tradition is baking for Santa on Christmas Eve. We do something different every year. Thank you!
making cookies
My favorite tradition is all the baking together.
Christmas morning we bake cinnamon rolls and play holiday music while we open our socks :)
Christmas Eve we visit friends then come home to cookies and milk!
My favorite holiday tradition is meeting up with the rest of my family at my Grandma's every year to open presents with one another - it means a lot especially since my Grandparents are up in age
Mine is the reading of the Christmas stories: both the birth of Christ and The Night before Christmas.
I want to make the world better by being kind to everyone truckredford(at)gmail(dot)com
https://twitter.com/eliza_elliott/status/547838109090455553
Making Christmas cookies and decorating the tree
kport207 at gmail dot com
My favorite holiday tradition is listening to the John Denver and the Muppets cd while decorating the tree.
we love to trim the tree
https://twitter.com/purplelover04/status/548590919050854400
I love taking the kids to the train garden! So fun!!
https://mobile.twitter.com/shiebs24b/status/548680511116169216
My favorite tradition is to bake Christmas cookies.
When my children were young we made Christmas cookies in such large quantities that anyone who came to our door left with cookies. Many people, especially the neighborhood children, visited often. Now my daughter and granddaughter are the ones making the cookies, although not in such large amounts.
Tweet - https://twitter.com/willitara/status/549089845570572288
We have dinner at Denny's after mass on Xmas Eve.
I don't have traditions right now, no kids, just my husband and i. we do have a nice christmas dinner for two :)