and a (late) happy thanksgiving to you and you and you

We're in central NY visiting my dad's side of the family for a little Thanksgiving vacation. I'm taking advantage of Grace's nap time to actually do something with this little blog of mine. Also, I lost my voice, so this is the easiest way to express myself. It's been a little chaotic here, especially since my dad hosts Thanksgiving dinner and we had a lot of food prepping, cleaning, and table arranging to do in order to fit twenty-two of us in the kitchen. Oh, and yesterday morning my brother made my grandmother get a little teary-eyed by shooting his first buck with my late grandfather's gun, which our dad got his first deer with as well. Awwww. Today we're just relaxing and recovering. And eating the many, many leftovers from yesterday. I may or may not have had pie for lunch. And a mid-afternoon snack. (It was a fruit pie! It's healthy, right?!) I'm also doing my best to rest my voice in the hopes that it will return by tomorrow, at least enough to have a conversation. We have plans for another extended family dinner tomorrow night and brunch on Sunday after my cousin's baby's baptism, and it's really hard to talk in a crowded room in a whisper. Other than that (the no voice thing, not the family meals) and a few coughs here and there, we are all having a great time together. I love holidays and celebrating with friends who are family and family who are friends.
I'm playing Christmas music as I type this, and it actually sounds weird. We always wait to begin celebrating the Christmas season until after Thanksgiving, but this year it just crept up on me. It seemed that I was just getting used to the idea that fall is in swing and now Thanksgiving is over and it's time to prepare for Christmas. I have to try and wrap my brain around that fact, but I'm really excited too. I love this time of year, and I'm excited to make it magical and memorable for my family. The first few days back home will be very busy for us, but it will be fun to pull out the Christmas decorations and to light the Advent candles. Hopefully I can snag a good Advent calendar from somewhere. (any recommendations??) I know Grace is a bit young to really get into the spirit of things, but it will be fun to develop our own family's traditions. Some little ritual could start this year that will become a favorite Christmas memory for years to come. This is our chance to shape the season into what we'd like it to be. One thing I'm going to do every day is to keep a 'thankful journal.' I want to carry over the spirit of Thanksgiving into Advent and take a few minutes out of each day to write down at least three things I'm thankful for, with at least one about Joe. I think it will be a good way to prepare my heart for Christmas and also to take more notice of all the blessings in my life that I tend to take for granted. So today, I'm thankful for good weather, not having any plans on the day my voice is gone, and for Joe's willingness to do some work on vacation so we could have more time away.
I hope everyone had a lovely holiday that was filled with tasty food, people you love and lots of laughs. Happy Thanksgiving!