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6 Tips for Smooth Holidays for Blended Families - Prime Women Media

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6 Tips for Smooth Holidays for Blended Families - Prime Women Media

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Family & Friends

6 Tips for Smooth Holidays for Blended Families

Holidays are a time spent cheerfully with family. This sounds nice in theory, but can sometimes be difficult, especially for those with large families. Budgeting free hours between multiple families can be stressful. Blended families also bring a particular set of challenges. As divorce and remarriage have become more prevalent, many Americans spend Thanksgiving and Christmas with step-fathers, step-mothers, step-children, half-siblings and step-siblings.

Holidays for Blended Families

My mother always told me, when you marry a man, you marry a family. When I first met my five stepchildren, they were teens and pre-teens. Children this age have their own special personalities, wishes, and goals. Blending their expectations with our expectations was actually quite smooth - here is what we did.

Talk About Family Dynamics and Expectations

When couples divorce, the family unit undergoes a drastic change. Will the children stay in their home town? Will they move? How far away will they be from the absent parent? How will this affect family gatherings? Has the absent spouse remarried? Understanding that stress exists, and the cause of that stress helps everyone deal with it. Even adult children of divorce will be affected during the holidays. They now must split their time between parents and may feel they are losing out on beloved traditions.

Make time to talk to everyone involved about what their expectations are for the holidays. And make sure you communicate your expectations too! This helps manage everyone's expectations and ensure that any anxieties or stressors can be addressed before they begin. You would rather know something will not be taken well beforehand to plan for or discuss it.

Create New Holiday Traditions

Each family has its own beliefs, traditions and shared activities. The important thing to remember is that children have no ability to be in two places at once. Often, a family can attend Christmas Day brunch with Mom and Christmas Day dinner with Dad. Many families get together on Christmas Eve. Make it work! Part of the excitement of blended families is the opportunity to create new traditions!
>READ: 10 GIFTS FOR TEENAGERS (THAT THEY'LL ACTUALLY LOVE!)
Commit to Making Time with Blended Families Work

You must commit to making blended families work. Jump in with both feet. Be aware of those expectations you've discussed but don't let minor circumstances derail your plans. The night before a planned family trip to Disneyland, my twelve-year-old stepdaughter said she had a stomachache and couldn't go. She did this often, so we told her we were all getting on the plane the next day. That's what we did, and we all had a great time.

Focus on Family, Not on The Day

What is more important, the holiday or getting together for the holiday? My husband and I both worked for different airlines and were based in San Francisco. There is no such thing in the airline industry as a holiday for employees. So we arranged our schedules to work over the holidays and went to Seattle after our flights to visit the kids. It worked out well for everyone. They shared holidays with their mother's family and we got to see all of them a few days later. Win-win. The successful blended family is a flexible family.

Practice Forgiveness

The world would be a happier place if we could practice forgiving and forgetting past insults or hurts. Even in non-blended families, it is almost inevitable that someone in your family will hurt another family member's feelings. With the extra difficulties that come with blended families, you can imagine how easy it is to hurt one another in big and small ways.

This happened to my husband and me after we paid for one of my stepdaughters' senior trip to Paris, France, with her high school French class. She came home, wrote us an "I never want to talk with you again" letter, and got married. I still don't understand why this happened. We didn't communicate with her for four years. But there are just some things you have to let go of and eventually, we got back together again. I don't hold that time against her. Choosing to forgive and forget brought us back together and has made our holidays spent together that much more enjoyable.
>READ: LETTING GO OF GRUDGES
Be Present

Living in the moment has its advantages. Forget your worries and cares for a while and enjoy what is in front of you. It may be easy to dwell on the way things were once done or what you wish had happened. But this is not helpful to anyone in a blended family! Focus on what you do have, encourage others to do the same and celebrate those joys with the ones you love. They will be happy to share this time with you and create new memories.

All families come with challenges. Blended families are no different, but from their difficulties can also come love, understanding and joy. Enjoy the love and camaraderie that a big family can bring. Happy Holidays!
>READ: 7 TIPS FOR A SUCCESSFUL SECOND MARRIAGE >READ: STAYING CONNECTED WITH YOUR LONG DISTANCE KIDS

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6 Tips for Smooth Holidays for Blended Families

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Family & Friends Holidays are a time spent cheerfully with family. This sounds nice in theory, but can sometimes be difficult, especially for those with large families. Budgeting free hours between multiple families can be stressful. Blended families also bring a particular set of challenges.

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Beat Holiday Loneliness And Host Friendsgiving - Prime Women Media

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Beat Holiday Loneliness And Host Friendsgiving - Prime Women Media

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Family & Friends

Beat Holiday Loneliness And Host Friendsgiving

We love our holidays in the U.S. so much we are creating informal ones to give us more to celebrate! Friendsgiving is a day where friends come together to eat and enjoy each other's company. From the combination of the words, you can tell it is a blend of 'friends' and 'Thanksgiving.' Usually, the participants will share a large meal near or on Thanksgiving day. Some people are serious about Friendsgiving celebrations: there are how-tos, sample menus, and even "rules" for Friendsgiving. However, the day can be as involved or as simple as you would like! Pick and choose from our Friendsgiving ideas below to host a fabulous Friendsgiving event this year.

Why Host a Friendsgiving Meal?

Many women over 50 may wish to spend time with their family on holidays. Sometimes, their children or other family members can live far away though. It may be their year to spend with their spouse's family. This makes it difficult to get together during the holidays. If this is the case the holidays may be lonely. However, hosting Friendsgiving can benefit mature Americans in many ways including:

Gathering with friends that they may not have seen in years

The chance to meet new people and make new friends in their community - invite "strays" in your office, neighborhood or groups

Learn new cooking skills and taste new meals

Indulge in recapping old memories

Those who may otherwise be alone for the holidays will get to spend time with people they actually like and start new traditions

Friendsgiving Ideas for Hosting

Friendsgiving celebrations are a day to focus on friends! Especially for people who may be missing family, you will want to wow them so they won't feel like they're missing anything. You can unleash the recipe you have been working on and invite some of your friends to showcase their skills. Food is a vital part of any Thanksgiving, and so should be vital to Friendsgiving as well. Traditional foods such as turkey and mashed potatoes can be an option. But remember the essence and value of all of you being together, so spend time celebrating instead of cooking elaborate dishes. It is advisable that you go for easy recipes, have ready-made food, and ensure you spend most of your time sharing the moments precisely as these Friendsgiving ideas indicate. Or, invite everyone early and cook all the dishes together (while maybe drinking wine and playing some danceable/singable music.)

If the thought of cooking at all seems too stressful, so many places offer catered feasts these days...from your local grocery stores, to restaurants, to the group off nextdoor that sells fried turkeys. Order in and laugh at how easy it all is.
>READ: THE MEANING OF FRIENDSHIP: SMALL CIRCLE, BIG SUPPORT
Friendsgiving Activities to Entertain Guests

When planning this celebration, many activity ideas come to mind. Have some fun, research and learn what will be appealing to the people you are inviting. You need ideas that will work with all your friends attending. Some of these unique ideas may include:

Make the meal a potluck! Ask everyone to bring their favorite Thanksgiving dish and a story about why it is their favorite. This will be a sweet way to think of Thanksgiving pasts.

Have a cookie decorating contest. Provide plain Thanksgiving-themed sugar cookies and some decorations then vote on the best cookie.

Volunteer for a few hours as a group. Serve food in a food kitchen, walk dogs at the local animal shelter, or spend time volunteering at a children's hospital. Everyone will be hungry for a great meal after an afternoon spent giving back.

Make your own party favors. Provide some small gourds and craft supplies so people can create their own Friendsgiving masterpiece or set up a photo station and send people home with instant photos of the day.

Plan a wine pairing and tasting to try new types of wine and encourage conversation among guests about their favorite combinations.

Host after hours or a day later and serve the leftovers - If your friends are spending the big day with family, host it after and let people bring whatever's left from that feast, including all ready open bottles of spirits. It's the ultimate in casual fun.

Add an Extra Touch with Friendsgiving Decor!
>READ: 12 TIPS FOR HOSTING A DINNER PARTY AND WINE PAIRING
You may want to be creative with the décor you set up for this day. For example, you can choose a unique color theme. Fall colors can be monotonous. You can break away by setting up totally a different theme color, like copper and green or navy and trendy rose gold. There is no standard Friendsgiving color, and you are free to try anything! Or purchase potted plants for a nice table centerpiece, either synthetic or live. Besides this, you can also purchase additional items to add a special touch of celebration for this day, like candles, name cards and fall-themed napkins. We've included some of our favorite options below!

All in all, Friendsgiving is an excellent holiday celebration option for people who may be away from their families and still want to participate in the celebration. It is also a good way to stay in touch with friends that are special to you or meet people you've wanted to know better. These Friendsgiving ideas will help you host a successful meal that will keep friends coming back year after year!

READ: 3 TIPS FOR SURVIVING THE HOLIDAYS AS A SINGLE WOMAN OVER 50
>READ: WHAT TO WEAR FOR THANKSGIVING - FROM HOSTING TO DINING OUT

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Beat Holiday Loneliness And Host Friendsgiving

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Family & Friends We love our holidays in the U.S. so much we are creating informal ones to give us more to celebrate! Friendsgiving is a day where friends come together to eat and enjoy each other's company. From the combination of the words, you can tell it is a blend of 'friends' and 'Thanksgiving.'

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What to Wear For Thanksgiving - Prime Women Media

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What to Wear For Thanksgiving - Prime Women Media

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Let me first say that Thanksgiving is typically a low-key casual day around most homes. It's a day where eating food and watching football are considered tradition. Though it may be more casual, it is still a holiday and it's customary to make the day special. That means dressing for a celebration, gathering with family, and most importantly expressing gratitude.

In fact, in the many ways to gather and celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday, actively being thankful is the most important thing to consider.

Place Setting Gratitude - An Idea for Giving Thanks

A fun little activity I recommend for you and your guests is to place out pieces of paper, a pen, and a bowl and ask guests to write down what they are thankful for. After dinner, take turns reading the tiny appreciation notes aloud. This is especially nice when children are old enough to participate and read everyone's thoughts. I'd love to hear any family traditions that you may have. Join me in the Prime Women Facebook group to share your family traditions!

After expressing thanks, it is time to have fun, enjoy the festivities and look great doing it! This year, there's no need to wonder what to wear for Thanksgiving! I've got outfit suggestions below.

What to Wear for Thanksgiving Meal at Home

Wear your jeans with comfy sweaters and dark blouses. You don't have to keep it basic, have some fun with colored and coated denim.
>READ: JEANS FOR WOMEN OVER 50: COMFORT MEETS CHIC
What to Wear to a "Friendsgiving"

When going to a guest's home, you can dress up a little nicer as opposed to when you are hosting the big meal. Most likely you won't be spending as much time in the kitchen cooking and cleaning. Although, if you're dining at your adult children's home, you may find yourself right back in the kitchen (because that's what moms do!). Leggings and an oversized sweater or faux suede pants and a plaid blazer are easy outfits. The look will give you a stylish yet comfortable vibe.
>READ: FOUND YOUR NEW FAVORITE SWEATER - BABY ALPACA & REVERSIBLE
Dining at Restaurant or Country Club on Thanksgiving Day

Before you head out to your dining destination, I would recommend that you check to see if there is a dress code. Many venues especially country clubs, have dress codes that dictate what to wear for Thanksgiving. This could be a perfect time to wear a sweater dress with boots.
>READ: DAYTIME DRESSES - EVERYDAY FEMININE
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday and remember to count your blessings and not your calories.
>READ: FRESHEN UP YOUR UNIFORM WITH THESE FALL TRENDS
READ: MAD, MAD, MAD FOR PLAID

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What to Wear For Thanksgiving - Prime Women Media

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Let me first say that Thanksgiving is typically a low-key casual day around most homes. It's a day where eating food and watching football are considered tradition. Though it may be more casual, it is still a holiday and it's customary to make the day special.

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6 Easy Steps to Prepare the Perfect Thanksgiving Turkey - Prime Women | An Online Magazine

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6 Easy Steps to Prepare the Perfect Thanksgiving Turkey - Prime Women | An Online Magazine

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Due to popular demand, we are bringing back this recipe for the perfect Thanksgiving turkey by Glenda Kemple, originally posted in November 2016. We have also incorporated a few links to additional recipes to help complete this year's Thanksgiving meal.
Gobble Gobble: Instructions for the Perfect Thanksgiving Turkey

Thanksgiving is just around the corner. Are you prepared for the biggest family meal of the year? Preparing a turkey can be daunting, resulting in a dry bird. Here are six easy steps to make the perfect Thanksgiving turkey!
Ingredients
1 tom turkey (12-20 pounds)

4 cups chicken broth

2 tablespoons cooking sherry and/or red wine

1 teaspoon kitchen bouquet

¼ cup flour or cornstarch
Marinade Ingredients
3 ounces frozen orange juice concentrate

2 ounces water

1-1/2 ounces honey

1 ounce cooking sherry
Directions:
1. Purchase your turkey. Generally, 12-20 pounds so you have plenty of meat for the big meal and leftovers for sandwiches, other recipes and adding to homemade soups. If you have a frozen turkey, defrost in the original plastic wrapping in the refrigerator, never at room temperature. Allow 24 hours for each five pounds of turkey to thaw. If you are in a hurry, defrost in a large sink of cold water, turning the turkey and adding fresh cold water often.

2. Remove the wrapping on the turkey and remove the neck and gizzards from inside the turkey. Do not rinse the bird. Instead, wipe the bird inside and out with a damp paper towel. Loosen the skin under the breast and thigh and legs to prepare for the marinade.

3. Prepare the marinade and mopping mixture. The ingredients are: 3 oz. of canned frozen orange juice concentrate, 2 oz. water, 1-½ oz. honey, 1 oz. cooking sherry and mix ingredients. Smear the marinade on the inside loosened skin. (I usually do this with kitchen gloves so I don't have the marinade up to my elbows). Use a food syringe and fill the bulb with the mixture. Inject the mixture into the breast and thighs, under the skin. Truss the turkey with the legs tied together using kitchen string.

4. Place the turkey in a large roasting pan with a dripping rack. Add at least 1 cup of liquid, such as chicken broth, to the bottom of the pan so it does not burn. Keep plenty of broth on hand to periodically replenish the liquid, as needed, throughout the cooking.

5. Preheat oven and bake at 325 F for at least 20 minutes per pound until the meatiest part of the thigh, not touching bone, reads 180 degrees or the breast registers 165 F. Mop the outside skin with the marinade every 30 minutes and add drippings to the marinade as needed. Tent the turkey with foil to keep the skin from burning. If the turkey is taking longer to cook at these temperatures, be patient and continue to cook. Remove the foil during the last 30 minutes of cooking for the skin to brown. To test whether the turkey is done, cut into the leg joint to make sure there is no red meat.

6. The gravy is the last step. Gravy mixes are sold in packets or jars, but I prefer to make it from scratch. Move the turkey to a cutting board and keep covered with foil to keep warm. Next, pour the drippings into a fat separator glass cup. If you not have this type of cup, pour the drippings into a large measuring cup and put in the freezer for 15 minutes. This will allow you to spoon off the fat from the top and discard.

Place the roasting pan on the stove top to cover 2 burners back to back. Pour the dripping from the spout of the separator cup and be careful to not let the fat at the top mix into the drippings. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of flour into the pan. Whisk mixture and bring contents to a boil. Add 2 tablespoons of cooking sherry and/or red wine, and 1 teaspoon of kitchen bouquet. Taste and continue to add wine/sherry and seasonings as necessary. Add additional broth as needed. Cook until thickened, adding more of the flour mixture if needed.

That's it! Six steps to the perfect Thanksgiving turkey. Now, slice and enjoy. Save the extra meat for sandwiches and soup. Never toss the carcass. Store in a plastic bag in your freezer until you are ready to prepare stock. This forms the perfect base for making homemade turkey broth for soups and cooking.

Don't miss these recipes that will put the finishing touch to your perfect thanksgiving turkey dinner:

Enjoy, and Happy Thanksgiving!

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6 Easy Steps to Prepare the Perfect Thanksgiving Turkey - Prime Women | An Online Magazine

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Due to popular demand, we are bringing back this recipe for the perfect Thanksgiving turkey by Glenda Kemple, originally posted in November 2016. We have also incorporated a few links to additional recipes to help complete this year's Thanksgiving meal. Thanksgiving is just around the corner.