Thanksgiving with the Kings!

My husband and I's first holiday we celebrated together while we were dating was Thanksgiving. It was such a fun day. We have found some fun traditions over the past few years that we love and look forward to each year. 

Starbucks: Every year we go and get a Starbucks on the morning of Thanksgiving. It is my favorite thing we do. It gets us up out of bed and going for the busy day ahead of us. The world is very quiet out there on Thanksgiving. We had someone pay for our drinks one year which was such a neat grateful moment. It doesn't hurt to have a yummy drink either. 

Grab a Paper: Well, this use to be our thing. Every year we would grab a hot drink and then a paper, but last year we found that the paper had hardly any ads in it. Everything is online now so I think our paper days may be over. So, maybe instead of grabbing an ad we will just make it fun looking at all the sales online together. 

Cooking a Feast: We started cooking Thanksgiving dinner about two years ago. My husband has some really good recipes for greens, Sweet Potato Souffle and Cabbage. We roast a turkey and make all the sides. I tried making an apple pie one of the years. It has been fun making the food together and having lots of leftovers. 

Football: It's fun having football in the background. There is always good games and provides entertainment while all the ladies are talking all day long. I like to have it on in the background while we are cooking. 

Set Up Christmas: If we haven't already set up Christmas by this day then that would be that weekend for sure. It is fun to have two big holidays so close together. I love the excitement of Christmas in the air, but grateful for a holiday to remind us to be grateful before Christmas gets here. 

Black Friday: Ever since I was younger my parent's have always gone Black Friday Shopping. My husband and I have continued that tradition into our own marriage. You find such great deals for Christmas gifts that way. We love going to the mall for our favorite stores for clothes and then Walmart always has good deals on kitchen items and household items. We get a picture in front of the Christmas Tree at Fashion Place mall every Black Friday, too. 

Grateful List: I try to remember to do a "What I'm Grateful For" list during the month of November to focus on the grateful moments. My husband does it with me which is neat to hear his thoughts as well. You can keep it in your phone, in a notebook, or make a cute grateful tree where you add the leaves everyday. 

Sweet Potato Souffle: My husband makes the best Sweet Potato Souffle and yes I will eat the whole pan. There have been multiple pans made during the fall season. I love it so much! He adds pecans and marshmallows to the top which is yummy. This dish a staple for us now. 

Bobby at Capriotti's: There is a turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce sandwich at Capriotti's called "The Bobby." It's a very Thanksgiving type sandwich, but you can get it all year round. My husband gets his hot off the grill and the cranberry sauce on the side. I really like this sandwich as well. It usually comes cold, but the hot version is the best!  

Cracker Barrels Fried Turkey Dinner: We try to go at least once during the fall season to get the Fried Turkey Dinner at Cracker Barrel. The sides are all delicious as well. The country store part has really fun sodas in bottles that we like to get. Cracker Barrel just reminds me of fall and the holidays. 

Pumpkin Steamers: The best drink during the fall time is a Pumpkin Steamer. That is my go-to Starbucks drink the morning of Thanksgiving and all throughout the month. I love the flavor it has and the warmth of the drink. There are great Pumpkin Steamers at Kneaders, Starbucks, and Beans and Brews. 

Costco Pumpkin Pie: The best deal on a pumpkin pie is at Costco. The bonus is, I really like the crust on their pumpkin pie out of the versions I have tried. The size of the pie can feed a lot of people and is very affordable. I like pumpkin pie with lots of whipped cream on top.

Flake Pie Co: We tried a couple different pies at Flake Pie Co and really liked them. I think they would be perfect for a Thanksgiving gathering. The pies are about two servings a piece so very small, but you can get a variety that way. It was perfect for my husband and I. My favorite was the peach pie. We also had the berry pie and the peanut butter cream pie which were both good as well. 

Bingo: I grew up playing Bingo with my extended family at our Thanksgiving dinners. They had the actual cage that held the little numbered balls and we had Bingo cards that had the little sliders to cover them. We had a prize table that was full of yummy treats. That was my favorite thing we did when I was younger. 

Homemade Pies: My mom always made homemade pies for Thanksgiving. We would stay up super late the night before to make them. We always hovered to get the spoon and bowl for the leftovers from the chocolate pie filling. She makes an awesome Chocolate Crème Pie and a Banana Pie. I tried an apple pie one year which was a fun experience. 

Pumpkin Treats: All month long is a pumpkin anything and everything kind of treat situation. I love pumpkin treats and drinks during the fall. I made a whole blog specifically on pumpkin treats that you can check out for details. My favorite is going to Trader Joe's for pumpkin flavored items and then the pumpkin waffles at Waffle Love are the best. 

What are your favorite Thanksgiving traditions?