It’s finally November, the weather is settling into cooler temperatures, the trees are almost bare, and wait… where did 2018 go?! We’re here to give you some advice on how to get through and take advantage of the month of giving. Follow along with us as we give you some ways to stay active, creative, and positive throughout the November month!
Activities
Now, we know what you’re thinking: “There are things to do in November besides eating pumpkin pie until I explode?!?” And the answer is yes! November is the perfect time to give back to your community, relax with family members, and get outside to enjoy the last of the fall weather before the snow hits. Check out our top favorite November activities!
Volunteer at a soup kitchen/package Thanksgiving meals for families
November is a great time to give back to the community and help out others who may be in need. Not all families have the means to celebrate, especially in the colder months as bills seem to stack up. If you are able, giving your time and energy is a small price to ensure others have a hot meal. Consider putting in a couple of hours at a local soup kitchen or with a community group packaging Thanksgiving meals. We promise you’ll be happy you did it!
Thanksgiving Day Parade
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is the annual tradition that never gets old! There’s something about seeing giant flying inflatable Turkeys, Pillsbury Doughboys, and Pikachus that is oddly comforting. It’s a great opportunity to spend time with your family or friends, watch the choreography of the dancers, and enjoy some amazing performances! Whether you watch from your warm house with appetizers and dinner cooking in the kitchen, or venture out to see first hand, you can’t go wrong with this November favorite. Here’s a list of some Thanksgiving Day parades that you’re not going to want to miss!
Flag football/watch a football game
Grab some friends, gear up, and get ready for some flag football! New to this kind of thing? Here are some basic rules on the game, you’ll be a pro in no time. Watch out Tom Brady! Playing flag football is a great way to get your blood pumping and keep you warm - even if it’s cold outside.
If you’re not too into the sporty scene, grab a blanket and head to your local high school or college game. Grab some popcorn and a hot chocolate from the snack stand, and enjoy these last nights outside before the snow starts to fall! (Alternate option: watch a game on the TV from the comfort of your couch.)
Crafts
Whether you’re looking for some motivation or an easy decoration before the family comes over, we’ve got you covered!
Daily Gratitude Notebook
"It’s not happy people who are thankful, it’s thankful people who are happy.”
So it’s November and you’re reaching the final stretch of the semester. Finals are creeping up on you and it’s getting harder and harder to appreciate anything other than your 8 a.m. being cancelled. A Daily Gratitude Notebook is the perfect way to keep your reality in check and not lose yourself to the endless tests, essays, and projects. It’s also a great way to remind yourself of all the little things in life that pass us by everyday without us even noticing, there is always something to be grateful for!
Here’s a step by step guide on creating your journal! (Remember that your journal is personal to you, so you can choose to follow these steps, or you can create something totally new).
Find something to write in, this could be a brand new journal, an old notebook, or even a couple pieces of paper stapled together to make a little booklet!
Start off with a title or title page - write out “November,” the day that you start your journal, or draw a cute fall themed doodle! It can be as simple or as intricate as you like. Click here for some fun inspiration!
Start writing things that you’re thankful for! If you’re struggling, try to think of just one thing each day that made you happy or that you were grateful for. Need a bit more structure? Try a gratitude journal with prompts, like this one!
Voila! Now you have the beginnings of an awesome Gratitude Journal! Set a daily or weekly check in with yourself and let the thankful vibes flow.
Leaf Garland
We’re thankful for a lot of things, one of which is our amazing internship! This got us wondering, what is everyone else at FableVision thankful for? We asked all of the FableVisionaries to fill out a leaf for our leaf garland with what they were feeling grateful for.
The steps to this are pretty simple, but the end result is a great decoration! Follow along on how to make your very own leaf garland. You can do this with your friends, your classmates, your family, or anyone else you want to get together with and reflect on what you’re grateful for with!
Right click to download and save FableVision’s leaf cutout template!
Print out this leaf template, or any other shape you want your garland to be, and use it to cut out your construction paper!
Get a hole puncher and create a small opening at the top of your leaves.
Fill out your leaves with everything you’re thankful for
Use some decorative yarn and string all of your leaves together to create your finished piece!
Find a nice place to hang it up so everyone can admire it and be reminded to always be thankful!
Recipes
This Vegan Rice Pilaf is a perfect Thanksgiving (or Friendsgiving) dish! Recipe credits go to Livvy of 86Lemons and Angela of Oh She Glows, who created this easy-to-follow recipe that the whole family can enjoy!
INGREDIENTS:
¾ cup pecans, chopped
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 cup chopped sweet onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1½ cups chopped celery + ½ cup, divided
1½ cups uncooked wild rice
2 cups vegetable broth
1½ cups water
1 bay leaf
¾ tsp salt (or to taste) + pepper as desired
½ cup dried cranberries
⅓ cup dried apricots, chopped
¼ cup golden raisins
½ cup fresh cranberries, thinly sliced
INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat oven to 325ºF and toast the pecans for about 7-8 minutes. Remove and set aside.
Sauté onion, oil, and garlic in a large skillet over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes, stirring often. Add 1½ cups chopped celery and cook for another 5-7 minutes.
Add wild rice, broth, water and bay leaf. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low-medium. Cover with lid and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring once half way through.
After 30 minutes, uncover, stir, and continue cooking for 20-30 minutes until the liquid is absorbed and rice is tender. Note that wild rice cooking times can vary a lot so keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn. (My rice cooked pretty fast and burned a little on the bottom, so make sure to continuously check and stir!)
Remove bay leaf and stir in the dried fruit. (I ended up not adding the dried apricots, so you can pick and choose what to add in depending on your taste!) Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the sliced fresh cranberries, remaining ½ cup chopped raw celery and toasted pecans.
Movies
Cozy up with a PSL and some pumpkin pie to finish your day with some feel good films!
The Blind Side
The November month is all about being grateful for what we have and giving back to your community. The Blind Side is the perfect movie about inclusivity and caring for others and overall gives you a warm fuzzy feeling and makes you want to make a difference in someone else’s life too. It also is based around a football player so it fits in perfectly with the sports season!
A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving
November wouldn’t be the same without the classic: A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. Join Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the crew as they attempt to throw a Thanksgiving dinner party! After you’re done scarfing down your turkey and mashed potatoes with gravy, sit down with the family and grab some pumpkin pie for dessert, and have a few laughs! It’s hard to not crack a smile at Charlie Brown’s foiled attempts to finally kick the football.
How’d it go? Did you survive November? Congrats! Only one month left before you can boast you survived all of 2018! Make sure to come back next month for the final Seasonal Survival Guide of the year! Hang onto your snow caps, we have a lot more in store for you guys!
Jen Jordan and Yasmine Ebeed’s Seasonal Survival Guide is an independent project of FableVision’s Fall 2018 Marketing Interns. Apply to join our team at www.fablevisionstudios.com/jobs-internships.