Week of November 20-26: We celebrated Thanksgiving with family, shared budget-friendly Christmas decorating ideas, and offered a simple way to make the season more meaningful.
Have we told you lately how grateful we are for you?
Because we are!
You’re always on our minds—your support makes what we do possible.
On this first Sunday of Advent, we want to share a simple approach to finding more joy this holiday season.
It’s easy to get swept up in never-ending to-do lists, especially at this time of year.
First: give yourself permission to say “no” to tasks, requests, and invitations that aren’t necessary.
Second: delegate more to others in your household. Even if you can’t hand off every detail, doing part of a task is often much easier than doing it all.
Finally: look for small, random acts of kindness to brighten someone’s day. We share ideas for this at the end of the post.
We celebrated Thanksgiving together again this year and actually remembered to take a picture!
Traveling to extended family isn’t always possible for us now. Our homes have become home base for our kids, who juggle work, limited vacation, school, and commitments to their significant others’ families.
Our dinners looked a little different this year—both of our oldest sons couldn’t join us. While we felt their absence, we were grateful for the time we shared with the rest of the family. We’re learning to be flexible as we enter this next chapter of motherhood.
- AnnMarie’s Week
- Anne’s Week
- This Week on Simply2Moms
- More Ideas and Inspiration From Our Friends
AnnMarie’s Week
My nest was full for a few days when Gavin and Emma came home for Thanksgiving break. It was such a happy time to have family together.
We went out to dinner and spent Wednesday night at a local brewery listening to live music. Thursday morning we had brunch, watched the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and then everyone headed to their significant other’s family for lunch.
Later we joined Anne’s family for dinner and a competitive game of Thanksgiving charades.
On Friday night everyone was home, so we decorated our new Christmas tree. The faux tree’s sturdy branches handled our heavy ornaments beautifully—a nice change after years of real trees.
After decorating we drove around looking at Christmas lights, stopped for peppermint milkshakes, and finished the night watching our holiday favorite, Elf. It felt good to hold on to that tradition despite a busy weekend.
Gavin and Emma headed back to Boone for the Appalachian State game while Chris and I went to the South Carolina vs. Clemson game with Jake and his girlfriend. It was freezing and not the outcome we hoped for, but still an awesome experience—especially since Jake had been wanting to go all year.
Anne’s Week
We started the week celebrating my son’s 24th birthday at one of our favorite Italian restaurants, Novanta 90. It was wonderful to have everyone together. Instead of cake we shared affogato—gelato topped with espresso—which was a delightful new treat for us.
This was my first Thanksgiving without all three kids at the table. I missed my son, but felt deeply grateful for family, health, and our many blessings. I did remember to get a photo with my girls and husband—next time I’ll try to get one with AnnMarie too!
After the meal I made homemade turkey broth from the carcass and used it for a pot of turkey noodle soup—one of our favorite traditions. I made enough broth for the soup plus an extra 16 cups to freeze.
My daughters and I went wedding dress shopping at two boutiques; she’s decided on a style but we have one more appointment in December before she says “yes” to the dress. We also went to see The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes—well worth the trip if you enjoy the franchise.
With my daughter back at school, the house is quiet again for a few weeks, but I’ve got plenty to keep me busy.
This Week on Simply2Moms
We spent the week preparing for Thanksgiving and enjoying time with kids home from college. Our business matters, but our priority has always been the flexibility it provides to be moms first.
We continued creating content for social media and curated shopping guides for Black Friday and holiday gift ideas—watch for those next week.
Holiday decorations can get worn over time and replacing everything is expensive. AnnMarie shares tips on refreshing older decorations affordably so they look new again.
Styles change, and pieces you once loved might not fit your home anymore. Before tossing them, consider updating items to match your current aesthetic. Anne shows how she transformed a modern farmhouse tree collar to suit a country cottage style.
Looking to save money? We share a clever hack to make dollar-store garland look high-end—without spending extra.
If you want a more meaningful countdown to Christmas this year, try spreading cheer with simple Random Acts of Christmas Kindness. We offer ideas you can do solo, as a family, or for teens to do with friends. Whether you pick a few to do over the month or try one each day, these acts can make the season feel more special.
More Ideas and Inspiration From Our Friends
We love discovering creative ideas from others and sharing our favorites with you. Here are a few we enjoyed this week:
Tips for choosing a Christmas decorating theme.
Fun advent calendar ideas.
An adorable DIY wreath.
A stylish wood Christmas tree tutorial.
Simple and affordable Christmas crafts.
A collection of seasonal favorites pulled together in one place.
If you have questions or suggestions, please contact us or leave a comment below.
Don’t miss any of our tips, tricks, or stories. We’d love for you to follow us on social media.
