Thanksgiving

What Are We Thankful For?

November 22, 2011 at 3:36 pm, by Julie Bain

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Relatively untainted by commercial endeavors (despite earlier store openings to get a jump on Black Friday), it’s a day of togetherness, loved ones, great food and wine, football, autumn leaves, fighting over who’s going to do the dishes and, yes, being grateful for what you’ve got. Studies have shown that expressing what you’re grateful for reduces stress and increases your well-being, but we already knew that! So in the spirit of the season (and because it’s more fun than getting our real work done), some of our LHJ staffers share what they’re most thankful for right now:

• I’m thankful for my best friend and roomie Nadine, who just finished chemo cycle number nine and still cooks for me. It’s hard to believe it’s been a year since she was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor at 24. I’m so happy that she’s chugging through her treatment. Even though it’s hard sometimes, we still make it to happy hour when we can! —Amelia Harnish, editorial assistant

• I’m thankful for going to see the new Muppet movie with old friends from high school when we are all home for the holidays. —Gab Porcaro, associate fashion editor

• I’m thankful for my new husband—and for the fact that I don’t have to plan a wedding ever again. —Catherine LeFebvre, senior editor, lhj.com

• I am thankful that my Save the Children sponsor child writes me back and says that his favorite subject in school is reading. —Ron Kelly, managing editor

Ron’s also funny, so we had to give him two more:
• I am thankful that neither of my cats have expressed an interest in going to college.
• One thing I’m not thankful for is that there are no pajama jeans for men, which would surely make the aftermath of Thanksgiving dinner a whole lot more comfortable. (Granted, not for my family, but for me.)

• I’m grateful every day that I have two amazing daughters that inspire me and make me want to be my best self. —Diane Malloy, publisher

• I’m thankful for all the delicious afternoon snacks that come out of our LHJ test kitchens. (Hey, chocolate cake is good for your soul!) I’m also thankful that my wonderful parents are in good health—and still happily married after 53 years.  —Kate Lawler, executive editor Read more

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Guest Blog: Thanksgiving Place Cards from Evette Rios

November 16, 2011 at 3:16 pm, by Beth Roehrig

Have you become a fan of ABC’s The Chew? I got to attend a trial run of the show before it started airing in September, and loved seeing co-host Evette Rios, the resident design expert, in action. She also has a channel over on eHow Food, where she posts videos with lots of great (and simple) entertaining ideas.

Thanksgiving is in just over a week—and if you’re hosting you have probably finalized the menu and are now looking for creative and easy ways to decorate the table. Place cards really make the holiday table. They are fun and festive, but also completely functional. Let’s face it, when we go to a dinner party, we have a tendency to stick to the folks we know, love and feel comfortable around. But sometimes as host or hostess, you want to arrange your guests so that they get maximum schmoozing, or maybe so that you can play matchmaker, or protect your shy, introverted friends from your chatty Uncle Louie. Place cards are your secret weapon! Here are bunch of ways that you can make them beautiful, fun and hassle-free. And you can also watch me make each one on my eHow video.

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New Turkey Time Traditions

November 11, 2011 at 1:55 pm, by Carisa McLaughlin

Chances are, your Thanksgiving traditions usually include waking the kids up early to watch Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, playing tackle football in the yard, and of course cooking dinner together as a family. But this year, why not try some new traditions? It’s never too late to start something new! Here are some ideas to get you started:

1. Volunteer your time at a local food bank.

What better way to show you’re thankful than by giving back to the community? Volunteering can be a great family bonding time and you’ll all feel better knowing that you made someone less fortunate have a great holiday.

2. Create DIY holiday cards.

If you have some free time while the turkey’s cooking, why not get a head start on your holiday cards? You and your family can sit down and craft some really neat homemade greeting cards to send out to your friends and relatives—instead of waiting until the week before to get the leftover scraps from Walmart.

3. Celebrate your family’s achievements.

After dinner, as an alternative to just sitting around in food comas, try something that will make everyone feel better about themselves by holding a little award ceremony. You can craft Turkey Day Awards to reward your hard-working family for all the achievements they’ve accomplished so far this year.

If none of these traditions seem to be up your alley, you can always dedicate Turkey Day to relaxing, catching up on your overflowing DVR shows, and simply enjoying the company of your family. However you choose to spend it, we hope you have a very safe and happy Thanksgiving!

Photo Courtesy Shuttershock

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Get-Fit Clicks

November 8, 2011 at 2:16 pm, by jbrown

* How will you get back into your healthy-eating routine after the Thanksgiving food fest? Follow EatingWell’s “1,500-Calorie Day-After-Thanksgiving Detox Plan.” (EatingWell)

* Many diets can help you drop pounds but they’re not necessarily great for your health. Find out which popular plans earn the highest marks for weight loss and health gains. (NY Daily News)

* Firm up in just 5 minutes with this workout from celeb trainer Rich Barretta. (Vital Juice)

* If you’re having a tough time losing weight, consider putting money on it. Check out how this guy made $700 by shedding 50 pounds! (MSNBC)

* Certain types of exercise build long, lean muscles, and four more strength training myths that just won’t die. (Spark People)

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Get-Fit Clicks

November 23, 2010 at 2:51 pm, by jbrown

Wow, I’m glad I got a salad for lunch. Eating your fruits and veggies may lower your risk of death from any cause—including heart disease and cancer—by 39%. (WebMD)
Uh-oh! One in four overweight women think they’re at a normal weight. (Yahoo)

Nike is having a big sale on fitness gear—as in up-to-70-off big. (Nike via StyleNotes)

Figure out how long you’d have to walk to work off your favorite Thanksgiving dishes. (One piece of my beloved pecan pie = an almost 5-mile stroll, sigh.) (about.com)

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Do Good: Give Back This Thanksgiving

November 22, 2010 at 5:27 pm, by Amanda Wolfe

For most people, Thanksgiving is one of those holidays where being thankful for our abundance (and sitting down to a table overflowing with holiday bounty, like the ridiculously good-looking truffle butter bird at right) goes hand-in-hand with being mindful of those who are less fortunate, and whose bellies are less full. Does your family volunteer or give back during the Thanksgiving season? It’s a wonderful tradition to start, and great a way to make Thanksgiving about more than just food and football (not that there’s anything wrong with either of those things…). Here are a few ways to give back.

- Does your family go around the table and say what you’re thankful for? (Love that tradition.) Put each family member in charge of coming up with a group volunteer idea for the upcoming year based on their “thankful” thing. That way you’ve got volunteer ideas for the year, not just the season. Kids count too! For instance, is your little niece Addie thankful for her pet kitty? Take everyone to the animal shelter to help out for a day.

- Take the pledge and donate to Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign. No child in America should have to go hungry on any day (not just a holiday), and Share Our Strength’s goal is to end childhood hunger by 2015. That’s a mission we can all get behind.

- It’s a cliche but if you’ve never actually volunteered at your local soup kitchen or homeless shelter, now is the time. But before you package up all your leftovers to bring along, call the shelter to ask about their food donation policy. Even better, sign up to volunteer on a monthly basis so your holiday spirit keeps on giving.

- I think we’re all thankful for our service men and women who put their lives on the line to protect our country. Operation Gratitude is a great organization that sends thank-you care packages to our troops, and they’d love your help all holiday season (and year!) long.

-  To find specific Thanksgiving volunteer opportunities in your area, do a quick search with our friends at Volunteer Match. Just type in your zip code and “Thanksgiving” as the keyword.

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Thanksgiving Damage Control: Make Fitness Fun!

November 18, 2010 at 10:50 pm, by Louise Sloan

When pigs fly. That’s when I thought I’d enjoy my baby sister’s boot-camp class—the one she teaches at dawn. Outside in the cold. Involving calisthenics. Me and dawn, we don’t get along. And calisthenics? Can’t think of anything more loathsome and boring. But after a number of years in which her class grew in popularity, guilt got the better of me and I told Caroline I’d attend. Dawn, my nemesis, broke on the morning in question and it was pouring rain. Of course it was. I decided what the heck, I’d do it anyway, maybe rack up a few extra sisterly love points because of the weather; what’s 45 minutes of misery in a lifelong relationship?

To my surprise, a few minutes into the class, I could  hear the flapping of little piggy wings… We broke up into supportive pairs and groups, cheering each other on, we played games—even cards!—which distracted me from the hard-core calisthenics and body-weight exercises, and despite the miserable weather it was gorgeous to be out in nature first thing in the morning. By the end of the class, I was hooked. (That’s me, the tall one in the blue raincoat.) I used to think our other sister, Isabel, was out of her mind for attending, even though it had strikingly reshaped her body. Now I get it. It’s somehow actually…fun!

Ideas on making fitness fun after the jump. Read more

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