Make Your Own ‘Perfect’ Thanksgiving

As Thanksgiving gets closer, I see more and more people looking for recipes, and making sure their table is a certain way. I think that's great if that makes you happy, but if it doesn't, why stress yourself out over it? Through my life, I've had some great Thanksgivings.

They were very formal, alike, and wonderful when I was growing up. I'll never forget them. When I was too far away from my folks to go home for Thanksgiving and couldn't create the same, it was disappointing. It took me a while to learn the "Bloom where you are" theory. I think sometimes we can get so caught up in tradition or what certain people are doing that we lessen the joy.

For a few years, we had a Thanksgiving for folks who couldn't go home either. Big tables, lots of laughter, and mixing of traditions ensued, and I'll never forget them.

I went through a period in my career when I was working the morning show on Thanksgiving, so trying to decide what to do  was not easy. Then my husband Randy made some decisions. He made homemade beef jerky on the pit, we had wine, cheese, and vegetables, and watched football. Not a turkey in sight, and we had a great relaxing, quiet day, which we both needed with our schedules. I WAS Thankful, and  I'll never forget them.

In times sense, we've gone to his side of our family's home when we could (when work and children's schedules would allow), and had a wonderful time. His side of our family is big with lots of cousins, in the country with rolling hills, great food, target shooting, and lots of laughter that I'll always remember fondly.

Now my Dad has retired and my parents have moved close to us. This year, Thanksgiving will be at our home. I'm very glad I've reached a point where I'm not stressing over the stuffing, or whatever, and realize that whatever gets done for Thursday is not the point at all. There will be time together, lots of laughter, and new memories made, and for that I'm very Thankful.

So, Happy Thanksgiving in whatever form that will take for you this year. If it's homemade centerpieces of wood you carved yourself to go along with your cranberry sauce made from four different kinds of cranberries at your crystal set table, or a small dinner with family, I hope it's just like you want it to be, making new memories you'll ever forget, and for which you'll always be Thankful.