Who do you do it for?

In everything you do, there is always someone you are doing it for.

It can be you, God, your spouse, your child(ren), your in-laws, your parents, your friends but regardless of your answer it is for someone.

This year I will host my first Thanksgiving in our first home.
That in itself is something to be incredibly thankful for.
While my immediate family will be spread out and around the state of California & Oregon, I will welcome my husband's family through our doors.{Beautiful mantle courtesy of my cousin's home}

Months ago I began planning & purchasing the things I would need to set the table, stage the meal, and love on the people that can be with us.
Along the way, I would find my anxiety points and my need to control the outcome:
This will be a sit down meal, this will be at a certain time, Football will not be on until after we eat....
I had to address the question as my anxiety rose:
WHO AM I DOING THIS FOR?
I actually surprised myself when I realized the answer was:
Me.
For weeks I had thought I was doing this for my in-laws.
I was going over the top to make it special because I wanted love on them with the details because that is how my family loves but when I looked closer I saw the heart of it:

Thanksgiving is a time for family.
It is a time for sitting around a table that has no distractions other than loved ones & deliciousness, it is meant to be special and special to me means personal, pretty & planned.

So, this Thanksgiving in our home, I'll be attempting the three P's that make it special for me & to me and hope that those who come to share this day of thanks with us feel loved and special the way I truly hope they will.

What makes it special to you?