I know we’re still preparing for Halloween in most places, but I want to take a minute to talk about my absolute favorite holiday – Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving has LONG been my favorite holiday. I love everything about it – the food, the Macy’s Parade, the family time, and football. I love that it’s a chance to get together with everyone you love with none of the pressure of gift-giving.
We always do Thanksgiving at my parents’ house – I won’t have it any other way (I’ve literally told Chris that anywhere else is simply not allowed). While my mom is the main hostess and typically takes care of the big things (the turkey and stuffing), I’ve started to take over bringing many of the sides – which are my favorite part. I love being able to contribute and guest-host my favorite holiday meal.
One of those sides I love is mashed potatoes. I adore my mom… but I make better mashed potatoes than her. It’s just the truth, and she knows it (sorry, Mom). To me, mashed potatoes should be hearty and satisfying… and I don’t hold back on the butter. That’s what Black Friday shopping is for, right? To burn off all those extra calories? In addition to the mashed potatoes, I am usually in charge of the veggies – roasted brussels sprouts and butternut squash are two of my favorites. We’ve never been fans of green bean casserole, so I stick to simple steamed green beans for our Thanksgiving dinner. I like to think I’m making up for the extra calories in the mashed potatoes by keeping the veggies simple.
That’s three dishes already that I make for Thanksgiving – and it isn’t even all of the ones I make! Since there’s so much going on this time of year, it’s really important to me to be able to get everything I need quickly and in one place. Giant is just a few stoplights down from my house, and it’s really easy to run in there and grab everything on my list.
I also love that the sales at Giant make everything so affordable, and I can buy product prepared and ready to use. I mean, who wants to spend all their time trimming green beans? Not this mama. I’m able to run into Giant, grab everything I need for the sides I’m making, and even pick up some fun fall-themed paper plates to use too. Let’s face it, after a big meal, the last thing we want to do is the dishes.
I even picked up a cute little pumpkin at Giant to decorate the table – and I’ll be placing it right next to the desserts. I prefer cheesecake to pumpkin pie, so this little guy will serve as my pumpkin for Thanksgiving!
Make sure you head to Giant this holiday season to pick up everything you’ll to host your perfect Thanksgiving. If you head here and register for the first time, you’ll get $5 off (the coupon is for new registrants only).
What are your Thanksgiving staples and traditions? Are you as obsessed with Thanksgiving as I am?
