We are running a “The Best of Holley” post from Thanksgiving 2016 when baby Eli – who is now a very big three-year-old – was born!  From all of us at Home with a Twist, we wish you a Happy Thanksgiving.

I’m pretty sure one of the reasons Thanksgiving is the most popular holiday is it’s less stressful (unless you do all the cooking and cleaning up afterward).  We gather together with family and friends to share a meal and to consider all that we have to be thankful for!

Two things you need to know about me:

  1.  I love everything about the Thanksgiving tradition
  2. …and I love sharing that special day with family and friends!
miller-tote

Sole Society Tote

Our Thanksgivings are always casual. Some years we “motor” to our hometown, Smackover, Arkansas! (true story…real name…Google it).  This year, we will walk across the street to share a lovely meal with our friends and neighbors, the Moses. I will miss my family this year, but the Moses are our family in Fort Worth.  They are a BIG family, they all live in Fort Worth, and they all come to the Thanksgiving dinner.  The first year we were invited to a Moseses Thanksgiving meal, I noticed all the women brought Tupperware containers to take their leftovers home. Brilliant, right?  That gave me the idea to bring a big tote — filled with Tupperware — to future Moses family meals!

So let’s talk totes!  There are many choices these days.  Three totes I covet are the Bazar Shopper by Balenciaga, the cube-printed canvas tote by Pierre Hardy, and a large Sophie Hulme tote. Unfortunately, these are not in my fashion budget, but the good news is there are many reasonably priced totes to choose from.  Longchamp has a lot of colors and since they are nylon, they are easy to clean.

madewell-tote

Madewell Tote

Madewell has a great selection of totes and you can have them monogrammed.  If you are crafty, think about making totes out of old blankets or men’s suits.  These would make fun holiday gifts as well.

recycled-blanket-totes

Recycled blanket totes

bubbe-bagBut, back to the Moses…for their dinner I have a few wardrobe options in mind. One possibility is to wear a pair of black skinny jeans, a white blouse tied at the waist, a long brown suede jacket, and black booties. Depending on the weather, another option would be a midi floral skirt, quilted jacket, belt and green bomber jacket, and gray ankle boots. Though here’s the deal, whatever I wear will be paired with a black nylon Tory Burch tote filled with Tupperware…of course!  That way, if a little dressing or gravy spills out, all I have to do is wipe it off. I even came up with a name for my Thanksgiving tote, “The Bubbe Bag,” in honor of the matriarch of the Moses family, Beverley Moses (Bubbe was her grandmother name).  Beverley is no longer with us, but she always made my family feel welcome.  And for that, I am thankful!

thanksgiving-table-settingSpeaking of family tradition, I will always cherish the years growing up in Smackover and the Thanksgiving dinners at my grandparent’s house.  The way I remember it, the table setting was very elegant…china, sterling silver, linen napkins, and crystal. The kid’s table was either in the kitchen or the den, but still just as lovely.

sweet-potato-cups

Taste of Home Sweet Potato Orange Cups

We also dressed up which meant for me wearing a beautiful new dress made by mom.  The guests included my family of five, my three cousins, aunt and uncle who lived next door, Ma-Maw and Pa-Paw and Aunt Bessie (Ma-Maw’s sister). My favorite Aunt Bessie quote was at a Thanksgiving meal when she announced, “One thing I know for sure, President Kennedy and his family are not eating this well today.”

I think it was the sweet potatoes topped with roasted marshmallows and served in orange halves that made her say that.  Trust me, there was no wine!

floral-dress-with-bootsMaybe your family is like mine was “back in the day” and you get dressed up for your Thanksgiving meal and go to a fancy restaurant or to the country club.  So, please let me share some stylish suggestions that will even impress the country club crowd.  One look I love for fall is a floral dress with boots… so cute!  Pleated metallic skirts are so on trend this season and all you need to add is a bulky sweater and boots.  Even with your country club look, the whole idea is to look stylish but just not like everyone else.faux-fur-wrap-sweater-2A faux fur-trimmed wrap sweater from Banana Republic will allow you to create an array of fabulous looks.  Wear it with a pencil skirt, a pleated midi skirt, or with tailored slacks and later with a pair of jeans.  All you need now is to accessorize it with a very large Bubbe Bag to discreetly take your Thanksgiving leftovers home!

Visit Holley’s Pinterest style board with fashionable ideas to get you ready for your Thanksgiving guests.

Holley Williams is a personal stylist specializing in closet inventory, seasonal shopping, closet organization, and wardrobe consultation.  Contact Holley at [email protected].