Thanksgiving around the Swimming Pool: Start a New Tradition

Thanksgiving around the swimming pool.  What a great idea! Why not consider incorporating a new tradition into your family festivities?  Sharing a meal, a toast, and a lot of laughs are all a part of the plan as you make precious new memories with this fun-filled new way of celebrating a long-treasured holiday.

Just because you have gathered around your formal dining room table  – or even the kids’ table – year after year doesn’t mean you always have to do that.  Isn’t it time to liven up the holiday with something unique and different?  This promises to be an incredibly fun and new twist on Thanksgiving. With just a few added touches, your backyard swimming pool can be the perfect place to host a festive and fun-filled gathering.

If the weather is accommodating, celebrating Thanksgiving around the pool can quite possibly become your new favorite tradition.  Just be sure to dress appropriately. Also, have a few extra blankets on hand for guests who may want to take a little nap on the outdoor furniture after indulging in a tasty meal.  Dress up the furniture with some holiday-themed pillows and throws.  Place a few chairs around the fire pit. Then, let the memory-making begin as you enjoy what is perhaps the first of many Thanksgiving feasts around your backyard pool.

If the weather decides to cooperate, you will still have to be prepared for chillier temps. This  means encouraging your guests to come dressed for the weather. You should also keep some warm blankets on hand. Plug in a few space heaters, too. If you have a covered patio, all the better. Your guests can lounge on some outdoor living furniture with some throws and pillows. If you have a fire pit, you are in business.

While you may use your kitchen to prepare some of the dishes, you can also bring out the backyard grill. The grill doesn’t have to be a summertime device. Sure, you may be accustomed to using it for hot dogs and burgers, but you can also use it for those tasty side dishes: stuffing, mashed potatoes, pies, and other snacks.  Why not cook the entire turkey on your grill? Smoked? Grilled? It will definitely provide its own original flavor in that regard.

Who says every Thanksgiving has to follow the same recipes? It is possible to switch things up a bit. The best part? It doesn’t have to be complicated. Consider making some mouth-watering finger foods to be served by the pool.  Appetizers or small cakes and pies make for great snacking around the pool. Give your guests some skewers so they can roast marshmallows over your outdoor fire. Keep it simple but fun.

Of course, in this category we do encourage moderation if you are incorporating alcohol into the occasion. Make a flavorful cocktail with apple cider, cinnamon, cloves, and oranges. How about serving a spiced cabernet or a Thanksgiving punch?  Let your creative wheels spin. Gather around the pool and celebrate the holiday with a festive toast.

Proper lighting is essential at any festive gathering, including an outdoor Thanksgiving gathering by the swimming pool. Get some floating pool lights.  Use small pumpkins or pinecones as floating luminaries.  Place them around the pool for a beautiful and tranquil effect.

Fall is the perfect time to play with colors. Incorporate some beautiful mums around the deck of the pool or on patio tables. Other fall favorites include pansies, ornamental peppers, and black-eyed Susan’s.

Add a touch of ornamental wheat, pinecones, dried corn stalks, pumpkins, or dried flowers and gourds in baskets.

Decorate any outdoor furniture with autumn-inspired pillows and throws. Put down an earth-toned outdoor rug and similar linens for the tables.

While you can arrange a few tables and chairs and perhaps even get an outdoor tent for coverage from the elements, you can also liven up the space by placing bales of hay around the perimeter of the pool.  Snap photos of family and other guests as they sit down and relax at this most festive occasion. You may not be adding water to the pool at this time of year, but you can definitely add family and friends.

If celebrating this treasured holiday around the backyard pool is something new to you and your family and friends, take this opportunity to be one of the first to establish a new and wonderful tradition that will soon be making waves.  Undoubtedly, you and your guests will remember it for years to come.  And who knows? This could become an annual tradition. The best part? You can be as creative as you would like. When at the heart of your family, any tradition can be a meaningful experience. After all, don’t we keep traditions alive by constantly adding something to them?

Let the fun of new holiday traditions begin in your Jeff Kerber Pools swimming pool!