Thanksgiving Weekend 2018 Events in Langley and the Tri-Cities

Thanksgiving Weekend Cranberries

The first long weekend in autumn is always radiant with fall colours, and provides us with a much-needed break from the hustle and bustle of September. It also features events that help us find fresh, local ingredients for our Thanksgiving tables.

Langley Area Events

  1. Fort Langley Cranberry Festival: From 10 until 4 on Saturday, October 6th, Fort Langley is the place to be for free entertainment and fun. The festival features more than 70 vendors and live music acts, as well as cooking demos, and a fashion show. If you’re shopping for your Thanksgiving dinner, you should come early to get fresh cranberries and tasty cranberry treats before they’re gone.
  2. Fort Langley Village Farmers’ Market: For more fresh produce, check out the local farmers’ market, which is also open on Saturday, October 6th. The market runs from 9 until 4, and is held outside of St. Andrew’s Historic Church on Glover Road.
  3. Langley Community Farmers Market: Head over to Timms Community Centre from 10 until 2 on Saturday, October 6th to check out some great local veggies, cheese, crafted products, and more at this last Saturday market of the year.

Tri-Cities Events

  1. Port Moody Oktoberfest: Experience an enduring German tradition in the Tri-Cities as Port Moody hosts its 3rd annual Oktoberfest in front of the Port Moody Library. The event runs from 5 p.m. until 10 p.m. October 5th thru 7th. You can try German beer, delicious food like schnitzel and bratwurst, as well as enjoy the Miss Oktoberfest Contest.
  2. Poirier Street Farmers Market (Coquitlam): The longest-running suburban farmers’ market in the lower mainland, this Coquitlam market offers everything from freshly baked bread to homemade salsas. Held on Sunday, October 7th from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., you’ll be sure to find something delicious for your Thanksgiving dinner at the Dogwood Pavilion Parking Lot.
  3. Colony Farm Regional Park (Coquitlam): The day after you enjoy your Thanksgiving dinner, you may want to burn off a few pumpkin pie calories, so why not go for a walk? Spend time with your family spotting local birds and other wildlife in this beautiful natural space. Dogs are allowed too, so no one will be left out this Thanksgiving weekend.
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Thanksgiving Weekend 2018 Events in Langley and the Tri-Cities

Thanksgiving signals the start of fall and gives us a chance to express our gratitude for the blessings of the past year. It’s also great to get together with family and friends in a setting that celebrates autumn. Here are some Thanksgiving dinner, decorating, and entertaining ideas that will help set the right mood at home.

Rustic Thanksgiving Elegance

Thanksgiving dinner banner

This burlap banner announces the holiday to your guests, as well as the rustic theme that will be reflected throughout your décor. Add a little more burlap to your table by crafting these cute, but super easy burlap napkin rings. They’ll look great beside these chargers too.

Thanksgiving dinner chargers

Then, bring a bit of nature inside with gourds that you can hollow out and fill with an LED candle. Or, have a go at making one of these fabulous Thanksgiving centerpieces. All this décor will be the perfect backdrop for a delectable Thanksgiving meal that celebrates the fall harvest. And, that means pie! Apple pie, pecan pie, pumpkin pie, the list goes on. Try one of these 30-plus pie and tart recipes.

A Grilled Alternative

So, you’ve probably done the big Thanksgiving turkey with all the trimmings before. It’s tiring and the clean up can be overwhelming. Why not give yourself a break this year and make your entire meal on the grill? It can be done, as this Food Network menu, featuring turkey drumsticks and a dessert pizza, demonstrates. Also, greatly reduce the huge number of dirty dishes and linens by picking up these seasonal paper plates and napkins.

Thanksgiving dinner paper plates

Thanksgiving dinner napkins

 A Kid-Friendly Thanksgiving Dinner

No matter how you celebrate Thanksgiving this year, it’s great to get the kids involved. A good way to start is to give them these activity sheets before the big day. They’ll help them understand the themes and special symbols that are part of the celebration.

Thanksgiving dinner activity sheet

Then, let them help with the decorating. They’ve probably already started playing in the leaves outside, so they’ll be super eager to put these coppery ones on the walls.

Thanksgiving dinner decoration

Also, it’s fun for older kids to get involved in preparing Thanksgiving food that they’ll enjoy eating. For something savory, have them help you make this corn casserole. Or, for those that love to decorate putting the turkey on these Rice Krispie treats will be a whole lot of fun!

Thanksgiving Weekend 2018 Events in Langley and the Tri-Cities

thanksgiving-table-decor-2017

Thanksgiving is a time to be thankful. Thankful for our loved ones, our family’s health, careers, pets, lifestyle and of course the food we are about to devour! Before you host your gathering, you may be pondering how you are going to decorate your Thanksgiving table to celebrate this beautiful time of year.

What do I use for my table centrepiece? What is my colour scheme? Do I have time for a DIY craft project? What is my budget or… do I even have a theme in mind? Depending on the company coming and your own personal taste, these 5 Thanksgiving Table décor themes should get the Turkey rolling! Remember… decorating your table should be the fun part!

1. Classy & Upscale

The key to a luxurious look on your table is to use lots and lots of a specific element. Maybe this is using different shades of metallic as your design inspiration, like golds and silvers. You may opt to spray paint mini pumpkins a white or gold color and put them into large flower vases. Depending on the size of your gathering, you can then alternate these pumpkin filled vases with large candles down the middle of your table. Perhaps you layer your linens by using a tablecloth and 2 placemats (one bigger and one smaller) or use a charger and a placemat instead? On a budget? Read how to decorate a high-end table on a budget here.

thanksgiving-coquitlam-2017

2. Golden Harvest

You don’t have to use small orange pumpkins and Fall colours on your table but if you love these colour combinations as much as we do, then go for a traditional “Autumn theme” using golds, browns, oranges and yellows. You can incorporate a leaf themed table using small fallen leaves from outside and place them randomly on your tablecloth, add a bit of sparkle with some battery operated mini lights and voila your table is almost done! Now for your colorful centerpiece. We found a DIY option to make quick and easy centrepieces here.

3. Thankful

How about a “thankful theme” inspired table? Using small gold painted clothespins for place cards you can attach hand written thankful words such as: love, blessed, family, food, grateful, friends, health, and so on. Or perhaps you write each person’s name and what you love about them and attach these to the clothespin? Another fabulous idea, time permitting of course, is to find pictures of your guests and use these as their place cards at your table. More tips on spray painted gold clothespins with personalized name cards seen here.

4. Nature

Bring the outdoors in with a nature inspired table. A few days before your gathering, take your family and go outdoors hunting for pinecones, fallen tree branches, moss, anything you see that you can use on your table. Use a mixture of green succulents, log candle holders, wood slab centerpieces, gourds and pinecones to create an outdoor theme. Do you like burlap? Here is a fun family Thanksgiving DIY project.

thanksgiving-2017

5. Don’t forget the kids!

What about the kids? If you are setting a kid’s only table, these fun ideas will surely keep them entertained. Layer down a roll of brown paper for your tablecloth and get out the crayons! Have the children draw their own turkeys or help them to write down things they are thankful for on smaller pieces of paper and insert these into their own “place card pinecones” as seen here.

What’s your favourite table theme for thanksgiving 2017? We wish you and yours a wonderful weekend!

Thanksgiving Weekend 2018 Events in Langley and the Tri-Cities

5-diy-thanksgiving-ideas

Fall is quite possibly our favourite season here at Dollars & Cents! The trees are rich with autumn colours, scarves and boots are out of the closet, and there’s always a great excuse to cozy up on a cold fall night with family and loved ones at home. Hosting a thanksgiving dinner this weekend? Any good host knows decor is an important piece to the thanksgiving experience. Adding a bit of fall flare to your home doesn’t have to break the bank if you’re willing to get a bit creative. Here are 5 easy do-it-yourself ideas we’ve come up with that are simple and affordable. Most of these craft supplies you can find right here in store.

Glitter Pumpkins

Hate carving pumpkins? What about bedazzling them with your favourite glitter? Cover a mini pumpkin with clear ahesive, and dust in sparkles of various fall colours. For a bigger impact, try using a larger pumpkin or a metallic spray paint such as gold or silver to really add a “wow” factor.

glitter-pumpkins

Thankful Jar

A great way to remind everyone the purpose of this holiday is creating a “thankful jar”. Each person in the family writes down things they are thankful for on a note to be placed in the jar. Read them at the dinner table or save them for special occasions in future. To create, decorate an old mason jar with craft paper or your favourite creative pen. 

Marquee Letters

These are all rage right now. Piece together a few marquee letters throughout the home or on you mantle. Choose simple words like “fall” or “thanks” that will be easy to display in various areas. Or choose the letter of your family’s last name to enjoy as decor all year round.

Mason Jar Flowers

Pick up some of your favourite fall coloured flowers to separte into various mason jars throughout the house. Try adding burlap or lace aroun the mason jar to add a bit more texture to the jar. These are perfect for thanksgiving dinner tables.

mason-jar

Mini Pumpkin Place Cards

Jazz up your thanksgiving dinner with mini-pumpkin place cards. Slice a small incision into the stem and simply insert your cardstock pieces in place. You can use painted pumpkins or an assortment of pumpkin colours for a more rustic look.

placecards

Thanksgiving Weekend 2018 Events in Langley and the Tri-Cities

thanksgiving-side-dish-recipes

It’s hard to argue with the classics, and convincing mom to cook anything “unique” or different on such a busy cooking day might seem like an impossible task.  But if you happen to be the one cooking this years big feast and want to surprise your guests with a cool new take on some of your dishes, then check out these recipes we have found for you.

Slow-Cooker Sweet Potatoes w/ Bacon

Oven already full with a turkey inside? Stovetop covered with pots and pans? Pull out the slow-cooker for this delicious dish that will have everyone wanting more!

Click here for recipe

Cheesy Broccoli and Rice Casserole

Tired of serving a big bowl of steamed broccoli that scares off the kids and always gets left behind? Get everyone loving broccoli again by adding something everyone loves: Cheese!  This casserole dish will have everyone wishing there was more broccoli to go with dinner.

Click here for recipe

New-School Cranberry Salad

Tired of just opening a can of cranberry and plopping it into a bowl with mixed results? This recipe makes cranberry exciting my adding other fruits and a pinch of sugar to make this a sweet and refreshing side dish that your guests will love.

Click here for recipe

Brussels Sprouts with Ham and Caramelized Onions

Despite the vast majority of people who cringe at the thought of these healthy vegies, Brussels sprouts always seem to make an appearance at holiday dinners. So why not make them tempting and delicious for everyone? Chopping them in half or in thirds and frying them with ingredients that people love is an easy way to get these greens back on the good list. This recipe will help you get over the fear of serving boring Brussels and have everyone excited for greens again!

Click here for recipe

Whatever you choose to cook up this Thanksgiving, just be confident that your guests will appreciate a new and delicious take on some of the old classics.  Make one of these side dishes ahead of time and test it on the family or some friends and see how much they love it and request it on the big feast day!