Thanksgiving with Dayna

Thanksgiving is two days away!  And I don't know about you all but I am getting super pumped about the holiday!  I have another great holiday themed guest post for you today!  Todays post comes to you from Dayna of A Bama Bell and a Bucket List!  I was hooked on Dayna's blog the first time I read it!  She is a southern girl who talks about everything from fashion to her deep love for the Alabama Roll Tide.  So enjoy this fabulous guest post and then go check out her blog!  

Hi there all of you Happily Ever Healthy readers! Dayna here from A Bama Belle and A Bucket List! When the lovely Hilliary asked me to guest post for her holiday series she’s doing, there was no hesitation to agree to do it!   I love this time of year because people seem to slow down,  breathe and remember the ones who we care most about, especially once November rolls around.   I’m not talking about slowing down physically,  I’m talking about mentally, because we all know the hustle and bustle that tends to start after Halloween can’t be considered “slowing down”!   Holidays are all about family time and traditions,  two things Ibelieve a lot of us take for granted other times of the year.

A brief  history: I was born in Georgia and moved toAlabama at the age of nine when my dad’s job was transferred.   My entire familystill lives in Georgia so every year,  each holiday is just spent with just myparents here in Sweet Home Alabama. No huge family gatherings,  no sitting around a pretty decorated table,  nothing Hollywood about it,  just my parentsand I enjoying the yearly traditions of cooking,  eating, watching football,  entering a food coma for a few hours and then eating again.

It’s a tradition on Thanksgiving for my mom and I to stayin our “comfy clothes” all day and cook the big portion of our meal while my dad slaves away and cooks the duck or turkey. He gets to tackle the manly part of cooking. We prepare a huge feast y’all, as if we’re feeding the entire town, enough food that we’re still eatinga week later. A typical Thanksgiving meal includes duck or turkey, homemade macn’ cheese casserole,  green bean casserole,  sweet potato casserole (a lot ofcasseroles! Hello, I AM from deep Southern roots, here!), deviled eggs, cranberry (we make it from scratch), dressing,  rolls, and then atleast two desserts.   All for three people. That’s a whole lot of food!  

This year we’re adding in something new to our traditions.  This past weekend, my parents and I went through our closets in the house andgathered coats and clothes that were taking up space with the plan to donate them all to a local Hannah Home here in Birmingham.  Thanksgiving is all about being thankful for the all the blessings you have in your life, so one thing I’m thankful for is having extra clothes to donate to less fortunate people who need them. In return, those people are able to be thankful to have others to a smile on my face!

From what I’ve witnessed though, Thanksgiving doesn’t seemto be getting as much attention this season. I know everyone is excited about Christmas!  Stores  started putting decorations out in October, we had radio stations here in the Ham playing Christmas music even before Halloween, thereare even families putting their Christmas tree up mid November, all of which isstrange to me. I like to give each holiday their special time and appreciation.Even though the jolly good festivities of Christmas are right around the corner,we can’t overlook Thanksgiving since this is the holiday to be thankful foreverything you have, to be thankful to have the means to look forward to Christmas! I came across this picture a few weeks ago, I think it speaks for itself! 

Happy (early) Thanksgiving to y’all!

Dayna