My favorite holiday!

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Thanksgiving is by far my favorite holiday. We always host at my Dad’s house in Herndon, so it’s nice to not have to travel too far. It’s a holiday filled with family, friends, food, drinks, and games - what more could you ask for?

We’ve added a few traditions over the past few years, one of them being a morning Turkey Trot. We run in the Ashburn Farm 10K/5K which benefits the continued education for Ugandan children who live in poverty. The first year we all ran the 10K, and then realized that was a bit aggressive. This year we all took it down a notch and ran the 5K, but hey it still made me feel a lot better about all the carbs I was about to consume. Melissa and Tom and the boys were able to join us before they headed to Melissa’s dad for Thanksgiving (bummed not to have them with us for the dinner portion for the first time in years!), and we got to run alongside the adorable boys in their jogger.





After the run, we made ham and egg bagel thin sandwiches with mimosas before we got ready for the rest of our family to join us. Once my aunt, uncle and grandma came, out came the snacks and the rest of the drinks. While snacking, we prepared the rest of the Thanksgiving meal. This year it consisted of: turkey and stuffing made by Pops, cranberry sauce and bacon mac and cheese made by Swiss Chris, mashed potatoes made by Shelly & Ken, deviled eggs made by Mor Mor, green bean casserole and brussels sprouts made by Yours Truly. Everyone has their classic dishes that they make every year, so they have all been truly perfected.
Shelly & Ken's Mashed Potatoes!
Cranberry Sauce!
Left to right:
Crescent rolls, green bean casserole, stuffing, brussels sprouts, bacon mac and cheese, turkey


My plate :)
During dinner is wine, and after dinner we break out the real drinks. I started a new tradition last year of making a Thanksgiving sangria, so I made my second annual Thanksgiving Apple Cider Sangria this year. I only planned on making two batches but it was enjoyed so much that I ended up making four!

And of course you add in the fruit to each individual glass, I just got too eager to take a picture...
After dinner is lay down and let your stomach rest for about 20 minutes time, until the rest of the fun continues when the neighbors join. This year the Goldins, Karims, and Capsalis’s joined. We may have had a little bit of dessert to follow… Anna made some banging desserts! She made a pecan pie cheesecake, a brownie peanut butter pie, and a pumpkin crunch. We also had a pumpkin loaf and pumpkin, apple, pecan, cherry, and chocolate mousse pies (thanks everyone for the contributions!). People asked if we had a baking competition LOL no we just really like dessert…


The rest of the evening consisted of a mannequin challenge, Justin Bieber serenading, Chardonnay-nay-ing, the stanky leg, dance competitions, cheer and step routines, Heads Up playing, and singing songs from our good ole Dranesville Dragon days in addition to some very patriotic ballots. Let’s just say things got a little out of control, as they do most Thanksgivings. Thanks to all that came and made this Thanksgiving a BLAST! We missed those of you who couldn’t make it, mark your calendars now for next year! :)


Comments

  1. Ashley @ A Cute AngleDecember 1, 2016 at 8:03 AM

    Thanksgiving looks like a blast! Yummy food and great time with friends and family!

    ReplyDelete

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