By: Karen G. Hatcher, CPM®
“I nourish my soul with my love of family, friends, gathering around food and the joy of shared traditions.”
As the holiday season arrives, we enjoy more gatherings with friends and family, creating meaningful memories along the way. One event I always anticipate is Thanksgiving.
The season begins with our large family coming together to plan, cook, and share stories of nostalgia. We delve into old family recipes while experimenting with new ones. Our time is filled with eating, games, music, and movies.
It’s a special occasion when families unite, businesses close and schools go on break for the holidays. We pause life to celebrate the holiday season by sharing delicious food and warm camaraderie.
Family and the Power of Food
My family loves cooking and baking for the holidays! Just like my mother did with me, I involved my children in the process early on. I eagerly await the holiday season to spend hours in the kitchen with my eldest daughter Destiny—an excellent baker— my twins who are learning the science behind food magic and any family that may be visiting where we can catch over cooking
We bond through planning, preparing, and cooking meals together. The joy isn’t just in eating; it’s in collaborating to create something beautiful that everyone can enjoy. However, I find that the joy starts with the hours and days spent together planning, preparing and cooking the food.
I always cherish the moments when my daughter shares new cooking tricks with me, inspired by her latest cookbook, YouTube or food channel discoveries. This Thanksgiving, we even transformed a would-be red velvet cake into a delicious lemon velvet cake. It was amazing!
We collaborate in making the meal list, then shopping, then the endless baking, chopping and seasoning. These times I cherish more because we get to talk, share stories, teach and collaborate in making something beautiful that will be enjoyed by everyone and we can relish together in our accomplishments.
And by the way, I have personally experienced the transformative power of cooking food to encourage children to try new things. For the past three to four years, my seven-year-olds have helped me prepare collard greens, but they only started eating them religiously this year.
They used to dislike this vegetable and preferred green beans cooked in smoked turkey or broccoli. However, this year was different, and they devoured the smoked turkey collard greens. Through all the preparation, they developed a fondness for collard greens, and that’s a big win for me! The power of food is remarkable, and I have always utilized it to bring my family together.
Friendship & New Traditions
One new tradition I absolutely adore is Friendsgiving, and I enjoy seeing photos of it on social media. This season, I am considering hosting my own Friendsgiving celebration. My aim is to unite my friends through the power of food by organizing a light potluck where we can exchange new recipes and engage in storytelling. During this modern festivity, I hope to deepen my friendships by sharing my favorite dishes family-style and sipping on some of my favorite wine and cocktails on the side.; )
For those unfamiliar with Friendsgiving, it started as an alternative or complementary gathering to traditional Thanksgiving dinners. Over time, the occasion has evolved into a unique celebration with its own set of traditions.
In my opinion, Friendsgiving can be celebrated any time of year, free from the constraints of Thanksgiving’s many obligations. I believe that you can have a Friendsgiving any time of the year, not just limited to Thanksgiving when our lives are filled with so many other obligations.
Take the moment to live Sovereignly and be free to create your own new tradition at a time when it works better for you and your lifestyle. Friendsgiving can be celebrated any day!
Friendsgiving holds great significance for many people, including my family and me, as it symbolizes gratitude for lifelong friendships and serves as an opportunity to nurture those bonds. Amidst the hustle and bustle of life, making time for friends and loved ones can be challenging.
Nevertheless, Friendsgiving acts as a powerful reminder of their importance in our lives. So always remember to cherish your loved ones with scrumptious food – ‘Tis the Season – lean into it!
Are you celebrating Friendsgiving this year? Tell me your plans in the comments below.
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