Sunday, November 9, 2014

Thanksgiving Inspiration

The Beloved Peanuts Thanksgiving


I LOVE Thanksgiving.  Longtime readers of The Magpie's Fancy know that I'm not a fan of Black Friday . . . and that I am completely against the idea of going shopping on Thanksgiving Day itself.  I doubt that I have to explain why, but I will say that I am still an old-fashioned believer in devoting a day to giving thanks for all the blessings that we already have.  Period.  

I also think that the Christmas season has become so overblown and so darn long that it is about to completely obliterate Thanksgiving altogether.  This year, most of the stores in our area began putting their Christmas displays out before Halloween, and by now they are completely decked out in Yuletide finery.  I really love decorating for Christmas come December 1st or so.  Call me a Scrooge, but I need that month's separation between my candy corns and my candy canes.

Therefore, I'm slowing things down and taking one holiday at a time.  And I'm finding loads of Thanksgiving inspiration everywhere I turn, so I thought I'd share a few links that might inspire you, too, whether you celebrate American Thanksgiving or you just want to enjoy the beauty of autumn a little longer.

Photo Credit: Michael Graydon & Nicole Herriot from Bon Appetit
First, there's all that glorious food to consider.  And where better to turn for inspiration than Bon Appetit?  I picked up their Thanksgiving issue just before hopping on a plane in Pittsburgh this past week, and I found myself salivating as I turned the pages.  If the perfect mashed potatoes have always eluded you, check out their guide to making gorgeous and delicious potatoes.  Mr. Magpie makes them for us all year round, and he always uses Yukon Golds, as Bon Appetit recommends here in the guide.  Who knew he was such a brilliant cook?  I did, actually, because he makes my favorite potatoes in the world!

And this pie.  This is the one I'm dreaming of.  Luckily, Mr. M's birthday and Thanksgiving both fall in November, and Mr. M prefers pie to cake.  That means I have two excuses to make pie.  Maybe I'll also make this one . . . just for the sake of being thorough.  You know what they say: "a pie in the hand is worth two in the bush". . . or is it "a stitch in time saves pie?"  "You are the apple of my pie?"  "Pie.  It's what's for dinner."  That last one is what we say in this house.

I think this photo was originally from The Lexington Company.  If I'm wrong, please let me know!     
While it's far too cold in this part of the country to eat outdoors at Thanksgiving, I love the mood of the photo above.  Simple, elegant, and cozy.  A table to linger over long after the meal has ended.  Only inside.  With pie.

From Terrain

I'm also loving the colors and textures of the newest autumn offerings at Terrain.  Their catalog is always a wonderful mix of natural fibers and products inspired by forests and fields.  I have some of those Stargazer lights pictured here, by the way, and they are incredibly pretty!  No ugly cords, plus soft, warm light.  I have to admit, though, that I bought mine much cheaper.  Definitely shop around for the best price!  You can find ones that plug in or some that are battery powered, which would be perfect for table and mantle decorations.

Closer to home, I'm taken by the beautiful displays at some of my favorite local shops in Portland, Maine, especially this one and this one, run by wonderful friends with unerring eyes for beauty, function, and enduring style.  

And finally, this year, Thanksgiving comes after a particularly challenging election season.  Here in Maine, I was disheartened by the election results--and, perhaps more importantly, by the campaigns leading up to those results.  I was also disappointed to learn that on the national level, 2014 had the lowest voter turnout in any election since World War II.  Less than 40% of eligible voters went to the polls, and only 13% of voters ages 18-30 showed up to cast their ballots.  Like so many Americans, I am proud to live in a democracy, but a democracy is only as strong as its citizenry makes it, and I fear for the future of ours.  The Thanksgiving we celebrate here in the U.S. gives us an opportunity to reflect not only on our own blessings, but on what it means to us to be Americans, and on the legacy handed down to us by our forefathers and mothers.  Here is a brief exploration on poets.org of the history of Thanksgiving, as well as a few passages from poems about the holiday.  

If you celebrate Thanksgiving, how will you be celebrating this year?  Maybe with a little pie?  ;)  Do you have any recipe links or other Thanksgiving thoughts/inspiration you'd like to share?  Please feel free in the comments!

16 comments:

  1. danke für die bilder und inspirationen, eine schöne woche wünscht angie aus deutschland

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    1. You are most welcome, Angie. Thanks for stopping by!

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    2. bravo!!! i'm not the only one who hates the idea of shopping on thanxgiving... i wrote a huge blip about this exact thing... in early october-halloween... early november-thanxgiving... dec. 1-christmas... now, hallmark channel started their christmas movies/shows before halloween... haven't turned on that channel since... will wait until dec. 1 to watch it... it's too commercial now for me... all holidays... there's just too much info out there, every blog has the 'best' turkey, stuffing, etc... so i do what my mom did and my grandmother... a simple, turkey with the trimmings... a nicely set table and watching lions football... go lions... since i'm from detroit... =D i'm glad you are simplifying the holidays... it's more important to have family/friends around than shopping... have a wonderful holiday... hugs2u

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    3. Christmas movies before Halloween?! That's just too darn early! Glad to hear that you share my desire for a simpler holiday. Your Thanksgiving sounds just right!

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  2. Personally, I wish we had our Thanksgiving earlier, more like the Canadians do. Giving more breathing room, between celebration of the 3 Holidays. Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.

    But I doubt that will ever happen...

    So we just have to "duke it out" for ourselves, among all the sell-sell-sell hype. -moan-

    Tessa~

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    1. I'm with you, Tessa! I think a slightly earlier Thanksgiving would give us all a little breathing room. You never know; that link to poets.org that I provided above shows how much Thanksgiving has changed as a holiday over the years, including the date when it's observed. Maybe there's hope for us yet! ;)

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  3. I couldn't agree with you more on all counts. Beautiful blog.
    Diana E. Murray

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    1. Thanks so much for visiting, Diana, and for your lovely comment!

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  4. Pie is definitely for Thanksgiving. I will make a pumpkin and a pecan pie. Mashed potatoes with Yukon Gold potatoes for sure. Trying a new root vegetable recipe out of the Victoria Magazine. Hoping it turns out. Thanksgiving is where the heart of the family sits at my table. Now I will say I have done alot of my Christmas shopping (which actually isn't much) and ordered my cards. I try to get all of that done before Thanksgiving, so I can just enjoy the decorating and festivities in December and not feel rushed.

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    1. I think you're wise to get shopping done in advance, Marilyn, and for just the reason you stated. I've done a little bit of mine, and I am planning now for the gifts that I'll be making as well. I love daydreaming about the season in advance a bit. ;)

      I don't think there's anything better than a wee slice of pumpkin pie alongside a wee one of pecan pie on Thanksgiving! xo

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  5. Oh, I agree with you so much ... about the too early start on shopping, the no shopping on Thanksgiving, about the elections & the worry and of course about the pie!

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    1. It's so wonderful to have likeminded friends out there like you, Susan! I hope you have a lovely holiday season! xo

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  6. Gigi, this post matches my mood exactly. You have captured so much of the magic of Thanksgiving. Finally here in Los Angeles we are getting some cooler weather. And I was just thinking that it's time to pull out those sweaters as well as our fall linens and Thanksgiving recipes. I love this time of the year. Beautiful post! And I can just picture Portland since my daughter lived there for a while after graduating from Bates and we spent many happy days there. I went to Bates as well. Maine is one of my favorite places in the world. I hope you have a very happy Thanksgiving!

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    1. I love that both you and your daughter went to Bates, Sunday. It's such a wonderful school, and I feel the same way about Maine, too. Life and work led me away for two decades, but it has been a tremendous gift to be able to live here again for the past four years. I love this time of year, and like you, I've brought out the fall linens and the flannel sheets, which are making things much cozier. Wishing you and yours a beautiful Thanksgiving season!

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  7. There's too much hype about certain holidays - total overkill, I think. Everyone's out to make a munch of cash. The best things about the holidays are the simple ones - like home-made pie.

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    1. Yes, Loree! It's all about the simple things for me, too--pie being at the top of the list. ;)

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