Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and the Countdown to Christmas

One more day of work to go and then I am off for almost a week, YAY!  I am looking forward to the time off with my family.  It is my side's year for Thanksgiving so we are headed to my parents' house on Thursday.  I can't even remember the last time we had Thanksgiving actually at their house so I am really looking forward to it (and not doing all the cooking too!!)  :)  Excited to have my bro and sister in law there too before they head to Tulsa for the big U of H game...GO COOGS!!  When I was little, we always made construction paper pilgrim and indian hats (kinda like these)

and don't you know my mom and  have been dying to make them again!  We will see what the boys think of theirs... :)

Black Friday has been quite the controversy this year with the whole stores opening on Thanksgiving day or at midnight.  I have never done the whole black Friday shopping thing before but I must say I am tempted to go...not necessarily for the deals, but for the fact that it would be a great time to get out of the house to go shopping without the boys!  Are you going out?  Do you have your stores mapped out??

31 days to Christmas.  I have actually started my shopping, but I know time is about to start flying as soon as Thanksgiving is over so I need to step it up and get it done!  We will get the decorations started this weekend and I cannot wait!  I do love this time of year!!  I got my Christmas Planner made too.  I made one last year and it was great to have one place to keep track of everything.  (it also served as a great pad of scratch paper for a certain 2 year old while we were grocery shopping on Monday, ahem..)...I call that double success!

Anyway, I hope everyone has a great few days ahead of them, spent with family, friends, and any other type of loved ones!  Let me know if you have any great tips for Black Friday shopping or other great holiday ideas!