Little Blue Sailboat: Oh hey, Friday! | Five Family Thanksgiving Traditions

First off, thank you all SO MUCH for the sweet messages--texts, calls, emails, comments, etc.--about our baby #2 news yesterday! We are so thrilled to be expanding our family and we already know this next baby is so loved by many!

Since I had some big news to post yesterday, I didn't get to link up with Astleigh at Hill Collection and Rachel at Floral and Fudge for their Thanksgiving traditions link up. And since it's "Oh hey, Friday!," I thought I'd combine the two and bring you a list of 5 of my family Thanksgiving traditions!

1. Travel to Ohio: Before my dad passed away, my sister and I would head to Michigan for the Thanksgiving holiday every year. Now that dad is no longer with us, Victor and I (and now Max) make the trip to Ohio every year to celebrate Thanksgiving with my mom's side of the family. We always drive, so it's a fun (albeit long) road trip. Our road trips to Ohio carry their own traditions, too, so it's always a great trip!

2. Thanksgiving lunch with my mom's siblings: My mom is one of 7 kids, and 5 of the siblings live in the greater Cincinnati area, which makes for some great family get-togethers. We usually eat at my Aunt Sue's house, and lunch is typically scheduled for 1 PM. It's a potluck of sorts, with everyone bringing something to share. My mom always makes a non-raisin dressing/stuffing and a veggie platter. Uncle Charlie and his wife make some scrumptious homemade pies. Aunt Sue makes the fluffiest mashed potatoes. Uncle Pat brings the turkey. Aunt Rose brings her beloved applesauce, and her husband usually whips something delicious up, as well (his family used to own a restaurant and he's a fantastic cook!). We enjoy a big lunch, watch some football, and they choose the date that they will celebrate Christmas together (I miss celebrating Christmas with them. The white elephant gift exchange is quite intense!). The cousins play ping pong, and this year we might need to institute a dance party for Max. It's always a joyful couple of hours spent with some incredible people.

Thanksgiving 2014 at Aunt Sue's

3. Friday night dinner downtown: This tradition began in 2008, the same year that my sister and I started celebrating Thanksgiving with our mom. The day after Thanksgiving, there is a big tree lighting ceremony on Fountain Square in downtown Cincinnati, and the restaurant Palomino has great views of the tree. My mom makes a reservation there every year, and we enjoy a delicious dinner, followed by a stroll through Macy's and a trip outside to see the tree and all the other excitement that goes on on the Square--live music, ice skating, food trucks, etc.

Palomino 2014 (this is not the big Fountain Square tree...lol)

4. Making a pumpkin roll: This isn't necessarily a tradition yet, but I'd like it to be. I LOVE a pumpkin roll, and I have found a fabulous recipe for it. I haven't made one in 2 years, but this year, my sister and I promised to bring one to our family's Thanksgiving lunch, so it's time to get messy! I think this will be fun to do with my kids once they're older, as well. I will post the recipe next week!

source. This link goes to the recipe I use, but I'll post again next week!

5. Avoid Black Friday shopping: Don't get me wrong, I love a good deal. But I don't love crowds. Or feeling rushed. Or being pushed and shoved. Or waiting in long lines. I've never gone out shopping on Black Friday, but I imagine it to be like that episode of Friends where Rachel and Phoebe help Monica find her wedding dress at a discount dress shop and they need whistles to find one another/alert that there's a problem. That's the stuff my nightmares are made of, so I steer clear. My sister and mom sometimes go out if they have something specific they're looking for and know it's on crazy sale, for instance, a Dyson vacuum. One year, Victor and I went out to Starbucks, Target and Walmart in the afternoon, after the madness had died down, which then prompted Victor to purchase a couple of TVs for his office. But otherwise, we stay farrrrr away.