Connection, gratitude & Joyful CHaos

Thanksgiving has always held a special place in my heart. It’s more than just a holiday—it’s a celebration of connection, gratitude, and the joyful chaos that comes with gathering the people I love most. For me, it’s a day that brings together laughter, love, and memories that linger long after the table is cleared.

Some of my fondest Thanksgiving memories are perfectly silly and beautifully messy. Each year, my sister and I ended up in flour fights as we made the Thanksgiving pies—laughter echoing through the kitchen, and flour dusting our hair like snow. One year, though, there were no pumpkin pies on our own table because I’d given them to our neighbors who couldn’t travel due to health reasons. It was a quiet reminder of what gratitude and giving truly mean, though my nephew didn’t let me forget how much he missed that pie! And of course, no one will ever forget the year I dropped the glass bowl of stuffing on the floor, shattering the bowl and sending the contents flying across the kitchen. Somehow, we all found the humor in the chaos and still managed to savor the meal. 

Thanksgiving Day often stretched into a long weekend full of family shenanigans and beloved traditions. When we lived in Omaha, the celebration took on an even grander scale. My entire family would make the pilgrimage to be with us, filling our home with the kind of energy, laughter, and love that only a big family gathering can bring. One year, my sister surprised me the day before Thanksgiving, and we couldn’t stop laughing and doing our silly “sister dance” when she appeared at the door.

Over the years, our family traditions grew to include card games and the board game Loaded Questions, which became a staple of our Thanksgiving celebrations. The gut-busting, often inappropriate humor and the stories that get told repeatedly fill the room with laughter and keep everyone connected. That’s what I love most about Thanksgiving: the moments we share, the traditions we keep, and the joy of simply being together.

While many families spend the day after Thanksgiving chasing Black Friday deals, our tradition looks a little different. We lace up our sneakers instead of shopping shoes and head out for a good post-turkey workout. Whether it’s a “Burn the Bird” class or a workout we design ourselves, it’s all about connection. It’s become one more way we celebrate what Thanksgiving is truly about—gratitude, togetherness, and savoring life’s small, meaningful moments.

One of my favorite traditions continues to be our pre-meal gratitude ritual. Before we dig into the feast, we each pick a name from a bowl and share why we’re thankful for that person. It’s simple, sweet, and often downright hilarious.  But amid the laughter, there’s always a moment that catches me off guard; a thoughtful word, a shared memory, or a tender expression that reminds us just how much love sits around that table. Every year, this little ritual fills the room with warmth and connection. It never fails to make my heart feel full and remind me that gratitude, when spoken aloud, has a way of bringing us even closer together.

And then there’s the food. Each year I try a new recipe.  I like to add something colorful, healthy and nourishing.  I also make the classics, like turkey and garlic mashed potatoes, my mom’s favorite cranberry chutney and, at my son-in-law and nephew’s insistence, canned cranberries.  Everyone brings their favorite dish to share, and my sister outdoes herself with the pies.    I love that we do both old and new, chaos and comfort; it’s a perfect mix that makes the day complete.

For me, Thanksgiving is a reminder that gratitude isn’t just about saying “thank you”—it’s about showing up, being present, and celebrating the beautiful mess of life with the people who matter most. It’s about laughter that echoes through the kitchen, energy that fills the room, and love that holds us together, year after year.

As this season approaches, I encourage you to slow down, embrace the chaos, savor the food, and cherish the moments that make your Thanksgiving uniquely yours. After all, these are the memories that will last a lifetime—and the ones that make the holiday so wonderfully, imperfectly perfect.