It was important for me to host Thanksgiving dinner this year, even at 37 weeks pregnant. I may have been a little too ambitious in this late phase of pregnancy, but I really wanted to keep this tradition. For some of our guests, this would be their first experience of this American holiday so I felt the pressure to make sure it was a good one!

I created a menu to go with our dinner so our guests would know what we are serving, also I thought it was a nice touch. I got the idea from the many catering parties my sister hosted for us. We even had a vegetarian option for one of our guest.

For the table and decor, I went with a classic theme with real flower pumpkin vases and a framed message of what we are thankful for this year. It was so nice to go around the table to get to know more about our guests and to hear what they are most thankful for this year.

I started my prep and cooking a day before and did most if it sitting as much as I could. Standing over a hot stove was not possible for any length of time. I brined the turkey overnight to make sure it was moist. It’s hard to find fresh turkeys in Sweden. They usually have it 2 weeks before our traditional Thanksgiving holiday so I had to pre-order a fresh turkey. I didn’t have time to take pictures of everything that was served, I missed the roasted brussels sprouts and vegetables, the portobello steaks with chimichurri sauce and charcuterie and cheese board. Here are just a few shots that I did manage to take:

It’s a tradition that Daniel carves the turkey first before he hands it over to me to break it down into more manageable pieces.

Overall, I was happy how everything came out. I hope everyone enjoyed our Thanksgiving dinner tradition in Sweden! I can’t wait until next year when we get to share this tradition with our little baby boy!