Thankful and Grateful

Last year, during the Thanksgiving break, we opted to shake things up a bit, by trading in turkey at Moms house, for hot cocoa on the slopes in Mont Tremblant. It was such a wonderful trip, and only the second time we missed a traditional Thanksgiving with the family, since getting married. When I suggested the idea of going away again this year to the kids, they totally shot it down! Shocked, I asked why. To my surprise, all three insisted that they didn’t want to miss my Mom’s turkey and stuffing again this year! Decision made- we stayed home!

Since we were staying in town, the Thanksgiving Day Parade is always a must! Whether we watch on TV, or see it live in the streets, it really has become a fun little tradition. This year, we were offered a special last minute opportunity to work with our friends at Aflac, to spread the word on their efforts of helping children with cancer.

As the leader in voluntary insurance sales in the US, Aflac is committed to finding a cure for childhood cancer. Last week they introduced the 2018 Holiday Duck, and last Thursday marked the 8th year that an Aflac duck flapped its wings down the streets of NYC, for another Thanksgiving Day Parade. One hundred percent of net proceeds from sales of the limited-edition plush holiday duck, available at select Macy’s, will be distributed to participating hospitals across the country providing treatment and care to children with cancer. It was an honor to sit in the stands with my family, representing a company that does so much for kids with cancer. I lost a childhood friend to cancer when she was only 11 years old, so companies that raise awareness and funds means so much.

While I was feeling good about our parade host, the temperature for this year’s parade was absolutely brutal. Ryder and Gemma broke down 30 minutes after the floats started passing by, but Siella and I toughed it out to the (bitter) end. As Aflac Duck made its way passed, Siella stood cheering, despite the cold.

After the parade, we headed back downtown, where I spent at least 40 minutes huddle on the couch trying to recover and thaw before driving to my parents’ house for the big feast.

My mom made a point to wait for kids arrival so they could place marshmallows on top of the sweet potato pie! I’m not going to lie, at first I was bummed to stay home for turkey day, but in the end, it was a fantastic day. Let’s face it- the holidays are all about family, and we were fortunate to spend that time together. Hope you all had a wonderful, blessed and belly bursting Thanksgiving as well!

pin it: