christmas is coming!!!

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. 

Now that Thanksgiving is over, we can focus on Christmas! 

(My husband is trying to teach me to not be too excited for Christmas that I overlook Thanksgiving.)

I really do love Thanksgiving. But there are just so many festive things to do at Christmas.

I decided to pull all of my Christmas-related posts into this preview guide so that the ideas would be more accessible. I realize that many of you readers were not around when this first started., so I think (hope) it will be helpful. I know it will for me since some ideas get lost in the shuffle.  

And just for your reference, there will be a "Christmas Ideas" link at the top of the site that will have all of these ideas for quick reference, should you ever need to access them again. 

Some of these ideas are from previous posts and a few are posts that will be coming this month. So stay tuned for full details on them--in addition to some new ideas!

As always, I love hearing your traditions, favorite recipes, and ideas. If you would like to share any of your favorite holiday ideas, send an email to sofestive@gmail.com or post them on our Facebook page.  

The more ideas we all have, the merrier! 

Traditions & Activities 

Advent Sundays :: St. Nicholas Day
Write and Burn Letter to Santa ::  Christmas Eve Candlelight Dinner

Twas the Night Before Christmas Gift Exchange :: Christmas Jar Service 
Hay in the Manger :: Soap Carving Nativities

Make Gingerbread Houses :: Celebrate Christmas Adam
Gifts to Jesus Box ::  Tin Ornaments

Advent Ideas

Scripture Advent-25 Days Closer to Christ :: Countdown Chains

Christmas Story Countdown :: 50 Christmas Activities for Advent Calendars

Festive Food & Recipes

Christmas Candy Cane Sundaes :: Holiday Sugar Cookies

Christmas Morning Beignets ::  Festive Nachos 

Crafts & Decor

Christmas Beds :: Stocking Hangers
Red Burlap Wreath :: If You Don't Have a Mantle
Ornament Exchange 

Gift Ideas 

Oatmeal Cinnamon Pancake Mix :: Holiday Muddy Buddies 

Chocolate Peppermint Spoons :: Whopper Reindeer Poop

Sweet & Simple 12 days of Christmas
Christmas Eve Pajamas

Come back tomorrow for a look at my NEW advent calendars for the year...
and how you can make one of them! 

simple celebrations: november 26-december 2

This week's simple celebrations:
26-National Cake Day
27-Pins and Needles Day
28-National French Toast Day
29-Newspaper Day
30-Day of Friendship
December 1-So Festive's 3rd Blogiversary! Make sure to come back for an awesome Giveaway!
2-National Fritters Day

Stay tuned this week for all sorts of Christmas ideas. I can't believe the Christmas season is here!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

I hope you have the most wonderful and safe Thanksgiving full of:
family, yummy food, and great memories.

I'm thankful for you loyal readers who love being festive with me!
Happy Thanksgiving.

*image from our pre-Thanksgiving thankful dinner. 

I'll be back next week with to kick off the Christmas season!

I hope you'll join me. 

thankful tablecloth [tradition]

Since it's my little guy's first Thanksgiving, I wanted to start a tradition that would capture what we were thankful for and the memory of him (and future children) growing up. 

There are a lot of great hand-print turkey crafts out there, but I wanted something that would last.

So this is what I came up with: A Thankful Tablecloth

I combined an idea we got from a wedding gift with this wonderful Thanksgiving holiday.

We don't have many Thanksgiving traditions (compared to other holidays), so I'm glad we have a new one!

How to: We simply traced our hands on a white tablecloth. We decorated them like turkeys and wrote a few things that we were thankful for with permanent marker. Each year, we will pull out the tablecloth for our family's thankful dinner and add our hand-print turkeys and gratitude lists.

  

So Festive In The City::Thanksgiving Day Parade Survival Guide

Hey there. This is Melissa's sister, Emily, and I am excited to be starting a So Festive- In the City series on this blog. When I first moved to NYC almost 4 years ago, I decided that being festive was going to have to wait until I moved into a house in the suburbs somewhere. I never seemed to have time, craft stores were difficult to find, decorations were pricey, our tiny Central Park apartment had no space to store anything...the list of excuses went on and on.

I quickly realized that being festive isn't about doing everything perfectly. It's about finding what works for you where you live. And no matter what little festive touches you add to your life, it makes everyday that much more special.

So, first up, let's talk Thanksgiving.

While many of our friends leave the city for Thanksgiving, we love being here & have a tradition of going to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. What's not to love about sights like these:

However, we've learned a thing or to over the past 3 years. So, if you ever find yourself in New York City for Thanksgiving, I present for you:

"The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Survival Guide"

1. Plan ahead. The parade starts at 9am, but doesn't finish until nearly 11am & by the time you get out of the crowds and back to your apartment or hotel, it can be close to noon. Plan ahead so you are not stressed with your Thanksgiving Day feast preparations. Make the pies the night before, simplify some of your dishes, or just plan to start your dinner a bit later.

2. Go early. 5am may seem early, but it is worth it. As with most events in the city, the Thanksgiving Day Parade attracts a HUGE crowd. By going early, you avoid having to wander through the thousands of people with a risk of losing half your group. Trust me, it can be miserable. Plus, you score yourself front row seats-making the parade much more enjoyable to watch. Just FYI- the parade starts at 81st Street and gets much more crowded as it gets closer to the ending point at Macy's in Herald Square. 

3. Bundle up! Coats, gloves, hats...you'll want 'em all! The weather has usually started to get chilly by this time of the year. You don't want to be freezing the whole morning long.

4.Take folding chairs & blankets. After all, if you have to wait several hours for the parade to begin, it is that much more comfortable to have a place to sit.

5. Pack yourself breakfast. Now, you may not be hungry for anything at 5am, but the parade doesn't get over until around 11am, so we usually bring breakfast pastries or muffins, fruit, and other snacks along with hot cocoa. Just don't drink too much because you will not be able to leave to find a bathroom until the parade is over!

6. Don't forget your camera. The giant balloons, soaring through the sky next to the tall buildings along Central Park West are an absolutely amazing sight. You will want to be able to capture the moment!

7. The Pre-Parade Party. If you feel like the parade might be a bit too much for you, you can attend the "blowing-up-of-the-balloons-party" the night before. All the balloons are spread out around the block at the Museum of Natural History. Beginning around 5pm, they blow up the balloons so you can walk around and see them up close. Great for kids who may not be able to sit through the entire parade. Just be warned that this also gets crowded the later you go.

And for those of you far from this bustling city, cozy up in your pj's and slippers and flip on the TV to watch the parade from the comfort of your warm home. It's not quite as magical as being there in person, but it is still fun & look for me--I'll be waving!

Happy Thanksgiving from the City!

Stay tuned for more So Festive In The City segments.