Tag: Thanksgiving

Adding a warm cup of delicious soup to your holiday menu can help to stimulate the appetite without filling you up. Homemade soups are a great way to kick off your holiday meal, and they make great leftovers for a light lunch. And while pies are the norm at the Thanksgiving table, starting your own tradition with a unique dessert can create a memorable finish with annual requests for more. Delight in the flavors of the season with these yummy recipes.

As Thanksgiving approaches, we are reminded of the importance of being thankful and grateful. However, in my clinical work as a psychologist and couples therapist, I hear examples every day of people who feel unappreciated and taken for granted by their spouse. Also, many people focus on what they do not have in their relationships versus what they do have. Why is it so hard for us to practice an attitude of gratitude and positivity—especially in our marriages? One reason may be that scientists have found that the brain has a negativity bias. We tend to have Velcro for negative experiences, but Teflon for positive ones, so we often dismiss the positive aspects of our marriages while vividly remembering the negative ones.

In these divided political times, these days of devastatingly frequent mass shootings and natural disasters, we are being called to love each other in spite of ourselves, in spite of our righteous positions, in spite of all the external and internal crazy going on. Hearts are tender, wounded, and exhausted. Let’s see how we can help take care of each other’s hearts this holiday season.

Recently, I had the pleasure of producing an event called Love Forward Talks and the theme was "Thanks+Love+Giving." We contemplated how we can insert more love into the upcoming holiday season and into our daily lives.

The word is out. There’s something wrong with Thanksgiving.

As with so many other holidays, we have ruined its original concept with enforced traditions: Macy’s parade, turkey, stuffing and pumpkin pie, televised football. Don’t get me wrong, I like all of these traditions, I just don’t know what they have to do with gratitude, or with immigrants thanking locals for helping them survive.

Does the following holiday scenario sound familiar?

Aunt Sally and Uncle Billy show up at your house for Thanksgiving dinner. Before the turkey comes out of the oven, Aunt Sally criticizes you about your cooking and cleaning and deflates your holiday spirit. Uncle Billy then spoils the holiday dinner—again—by picking political fights with everyone at the table. Later, your cousin Connie corners you in the kitchen and discloses way too much information about her personal life, while your other cousin Mike embarrasses you by asking why you haven’t been promoted yet. Meanwhile, your father-in-law drives you nuts with his unsolicited career advice. It seems, once again, like this year’s holiday season will be awash with irritating and/or awkward moments courtesy of your beloved relatives.

Less than 30 miles southwest of Portland, Oregon the spectacular Dundee Hills appellation is no longer a secret: it’s a destination.

Since the mid-1960s, the red clay loam Jory soils of the Dundee Hills have become known as an exceptional place to grow new world Pinot Noir. Today, discerning wine lovers from around the globe travel to Dundee to sample world-class wines from boutique to domain wineries, experience meals from the region that has made food a fetish, and become one with the non-stop, stunning scenery, including the distant snowcapped tips of Mount Hood and Mount Jefferson. Beyond wine and food, wonderful accommodations await—everything from charming bed and breakfasts and small, quaint inns, to the height of chic.

The first Monday in September (otherwise known as Labor Day) has come and gone—and if you’re like many American workers, you aren’t happy about it. Summer, with its relaxed schedule, swimming pools, and family trips, is officially over, and to make matters worse, there’s no vacation in sight until Thanksgiving. That double whammy is enough to make anyone feel even grumpier than usual on the morning commute into work. And unfortunately, that attitude tends to only grow worse throughout a hectic day and a frustrating fight through traffic on the way home, where chores, bills, and other drudgeries await you.