Last month I said that October was a month made for planning. Well, now I’m saying that if you didn’t start planning in October, you get another chance. Things start picking up a bit in November, but the full holiday rush is still a few weeks away. So, here’s what to do in November.
What to Do in November: Holidays
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November is National Novel Writing Month (otherwise known as NaNoWriMo)! Your local library can help you get connected with local writers groups to encourage your writing endeavors. You can also check out NaNoWriMo.org and sign up to participate in a community of writers.
Veterans Day is November 11th. The U.S. Department of Defense has a short explanation of how Veterans Day came to be celebrated the way it is in our country, and why veterans is written with no apostrophe. Read about it HERE.
Thanksgiving Day is always celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November. If you need a step-by-step plan for your Thanksgiving dinner, I have a free printable Thanksgiving checklist for you to download.
Grab the free printable checklist today and get started on your step-by-step plan for a less bothered, more blessed Thanksgiving Day this year.
You can download a complete printable Thanksgiving planner with pages for menu planning, guest list, place cards, kids’ activities, and more in my Etsy shop.
Fun Holidays
November 1st is National Author’s Day! I want my kids to pick an author they like and do a little research about how they got started and how many books they’ve written. Download my National Author’s Day printable for your kids to research their favorite author. For a great list of kids’ books perfect for gifting, read my post A Year of Children’s Books. You can download Happy Birthday cards that feature an author with a birthday in the same month as your child!
National Nachos Day is on November 6th. Dinner = done.
I will also be celebrating National Clean Out Your Fridge Day on November 15th. Someone was thinking with this one. My fridge will need some cleaning out to house all the Thanksgiving dishes soon to be filling it up.
I also have aspirations of celebrating National Homemade Bread Day on November 17th. I was torn between National Take a Hike Day (also 11/17) and National Homemade Bread Day. If I wake up on November 17th to sunny, blue skies, I might shift gears and take the kids on a hike. But the likelihood is that we will be socked in with cold, drizzling rain, and a warm, homemade loaf of bread will sound much more appealing.
Free Printable List of Fun Holidays
Download a free printable list of fun holidays to celebrate with your family!
Complete Set of Monthly Lists
Monthly Fun Holidays / Monthly Bucket Lists / Monthly Home Maintenance + more!
Black Friday is November 27th. I don’t typically shop on the day after Thanksgiving. Crowds are not my thing, and most of the really great deals are probably limited quantities of things that I don’t particularly want anyway. This year especially, we will likely all do a little cyber shopping.
If you want a whole year’s worth of fun holidays to celebrate, read THIS post and download the free printable.
On Sale This Month
Ok, so there’s not much that isn’t on sale this month. According the the magical interwebs, though, November is an especially good time to buy tools, electronics, food storage (all those leftovers!) and baking supplies.
Here are a few of my favorite things that I use ALL THE TIME around the holidays!
Perfect for packing up leftovers!
I love wooden serving boards. They dress up even the simplest cheese and cracker spread.
Family movie nights or game nights are even better with popcorn!
We love having walnuts or hazelnuts out in a bowl at this time of year.
Shop Ahead
I scan my calendar every month for the upcoming weeks to see what events will be here before I know it. In November, I’m mostly focused on Christmas shopping, with a couple of December birthdays thrown in. I also keep a list of Christmas supplies that I want to shop for right before and after Christmas, when things start getting clearanced out. During the Christmas season, I pay attention to how much wrapping paper and ribbon I have on hand. I also think about purchasing small items for the kids’ stockings or advent house for the following year.
Seasonal Happenings
Since we are focused on Thanksgiving this month, I love to check out ideas for gratitude journal prompts, kids’ crafts, and, of course, yummy Thanksgiving food. My Pinterest Thanksgiving board has lots of ideas to get you started.
Get that Thanksgiving planning done, because Christmas is coming fast this year. Just for fun…
Yup, that’s all the days we have left. If you like to give handmade gifts, get crafting! My problem is that I spend so much time looking dreaming up ideas that I don’t leave myself enough time to execute them. This year, my goal is to pick just a few things that I want to make and make multiples of them. I love “gift in a jar” ideas, and I want to use my Cricut to make some cute signs.
Around the House
Daylight Savings time ends Sunday, November 1st. You should use this as a reminder to change your smoke detector batteries. Insulate outdoor pipes in preparation for freezing temperatures. Also, think about a plan for potential winter power outages. Make sure you have working flashlights and that you know where to find them. Matches, lighters, candles, headlamps, and lanterns are all handy to have when the lights go out. We keep a backpack in our closet that contains these useful items so that we know exactly where to find them. When you change batteries in your smoke detectors, also check flashlight and lantern batteries. Clean your kitchen exhaust hood and filter, ready for all your holiday cooking and baking. Finally, if you haven’t already, get that outdoor furniture cleaned off and stored for the winter. You’ll get much longer use from your patio furniture if you don’t leave it out in the rain and snow!
For the Kids
Since November 1st is National Author’s Day, I thought it would be fun to have my kids pick a book or series that they like, and research the author. I made a printable for my kids to use as a guideline, and you can use it too! Grab it HERE. I am going to encourage my kids to contact the author they choose through email or their social media account (through me!) and ask them a question. How fun would it be to get a response from their favorite author??
We will read some stories this month that focus on being thankful, like The Berenstain Bears Count Their Blessings, and one of my favorites, Thank You, Mr. Falker. My kids love Mad Libs, and I found this adorable Thanksgiving Mad Libs printable at My Sister’s Suitcase. They are going to love it. I also hope to make these sweet little paper pumpkins I saw over on DIY inspired.
Kids’ Books to Encourage Gratitude
I’m dialing my Christmas shopping way back this year, and attempting to give more experience gifts to the kids than toys or things. But I know that over Christmas we will end up adding new clothes, books, and toys to our already full house. Last year I did a small toy purge before the holidays, and it’s been a continuous cleanout ever since. How in the world do we still have so much stuff? We are going to pare down the stuff again in November. I’m already thinking about my decluttering plan for 2020 and I am on a mission to get my kids’ stuff under control!
Plan Ahead
Here we go…Christmas planning gets real. November is the month to plan for holiday activities, advent activities, and shopping. Plus cookie baking and swapping, Christmas breakfast, and the main meal. There’s a lot to think about. For the past couple of years I have cut back on the number of activities and amount of baking that I do in December. Two years ago when much of my family was out of town over Christmas, I nixed the traditional Christmas dinner entirely. I served my husband’s favorite lasagna for Christmas dinner instead! It probably won’t be an annual tradition, but nobody complained about not getting the traditional Christmas dinner, everyone gobbled up the lasagna, and I had time to relax with a book on Christmas day!
Check out my December family devotional, Light of the World, for a flexible take on advent readings. Only six readings to complete during the hectic days before Christmas, and daily readings for the week between Christmas and New Year’s. From “let there be light” to “let your light shine,” we cover the theme of light throughout scripture. Available to download now!
This year, I plan to choose a few favorite crafts, activities, and events. I’m filling my Pinterest Christmas board with loads of fun ideas, but giving myself a deadline of November 16th to decide on my plans for December. Here’s my Pinterest Christmas ideas board if you want to follow along with me…
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Focus on gratitude this month with a thanksgiving tree. Get the how-to here.
Download a free checklist to plan your perfect Thanksgiving feast.
Get ready for those rainy fall and winter days with a list of fun kids activities.
There is so much great information here! I’m ready to start planning for the Holidays… and I’m surely celebrating National Nacho Day this year! I didn’t know that was a thing. Thanks.
My kids love nachos, so National Nacho Day is a bit hit in our house!