On the day after Halloween, the children and I perused the aisles of Michael's and Home Goods looking for Thanksgiving decor that might be on sale. First we had to get through the shelves and shelves of Christmas plates, wreaths, pillows, and decorations. We searched around the numerous bins of ornaments, artificial poinsettias and holly greens, and Christmas lights. Finally, at the far end of the store, we spotted the tiny section of fall merchandise as "Jingle Bells" played over the intercom. Although there wasn't much left, it was 80% off. I felt like I hit the jackpot.
I was able to purchase all of the above items at Michael's for only $11, and that was with no coupons. The resin "Give Thanks" decoration, white ceramic embossed tray, and the rattan cornucopia were only $3 each. The harvest charger was $1. For some reason, my ten year-old kept asking me for a horn of plenty this year, so we lucked out there. He's been stuffing it with gourds, corn, pumpkin, apples, and whatever else he finds. Fun, fun.
The sales weren't quite as awesome at Home Goods, and they did have a bit more fall items still in stock, but first you had to get past all the Christmas merchandise. This canvas turkey wall hanging and the brass leaf dish totaled only $9. I can't wait to use all these plates for our Thanksgiving dinner.
I will admit that it was very tempting to give in and buy some new Christmas stuff, but I resisted. I mean, it was the day after Thanksgiving, for crying out loud. I have such good memories of the Thanksgiving holiday: watching The Charlie Brown Thanksgiving back when you could only see it on TV once a year; dressing up as pilgrims and Indians at school; looking forward to a week off from homework; and anticipating eating as much turkey and pumpkin pie as my belly could hold. I don't want to skip over this special day when we remember our history and count our blessings.
So instead of filling my shopping cart with things red and green and playing Christmas carols while decking the halls of our farmhouse, I purchased and displayed the above items and did some more Pinterest-inspired chalkboard art for Thanksgiving, and I'm hunting for some new recipes to try this year as well. And I'm going to do my best for the next 18 days to recognize and acknowledge all the blessings in my life and to be truly thankful.
