Treasuring Traditions, Old and New

By: Jenna Park & Mark Sopchak
Sweet Fine Day

When planning the same holiday year after year, how do you keep your celebration fresh and interesting while maintaining a sense of tradition? We asked our favorite bloggers and food people to share what's inspiring their Thanksgiving planning this year. From ancestor's recipes and falling leaves, to beautiful piles of ingredients and thoughtful home decor, there was no shortage of imagination. See what motivates some of the most creative minds we know, and then start planning your annual feast.

As we fall deeper into and closer to the holiday season, we enjoy the changing light that gives everything a warm glow, picking up leaves that catch our eye on our everyday walks and the golden colors that are in abundance everywhere.

Fragrant stews made from rich broth and chunks of hearty vegetables and seasonal dessert flavors like our Pumpkin Ginger Sandwich Cookies all mark the season. As a multiracial and Asian-American family, our Thanksgiving meals are anything but traditional. While we do have a turkey and some of the usual trimmings, our holiday table also features food from our Korean heritage. Desserts like our Nutella Bread Pudding With Dates and Quince Upside Down Cake are some of the flavors that have been part of our Thanksgivings past and that always inspire our future Thanksgivings as we try to establish new traditions within our own family.

For more Thanksgiving ideas, visit our Thanksgiving Inspiration Board Gallery.

Jenna Park is a freelance art director, designer and co-owner of Whimsy & Spice, an artisanal  bakery based in Brooklyn that she runs with her pastry-chef husband, Mark Sopchak. Jenna is an avid photographer and has been blogging since 2001. These days you can find her at Sweet Fine Day, where she writes about life in New York, raising two little girls in the city and juggling a freelance career and family business.

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