Here's How I’m Planning My First Thanksgiving Dinner

Don't Fall For "Perfect Families" On Social Media

The first VERY important step to having a joyous holiday season when you're going it alone is to stop believing the narrative that others' family situations are perfect, Eichler says.

"Remember people only post a moment in time, and only the moments when they look their happiest and best."

In addition to the fact that everything you see on social media is curated for the 'gram, it's also important to remember that by focusing on what others have and you lack, you risk failing to see the great things at play in your own life.

"These holiday periods can become a time of focusing on who and what we don't have, rather than who or what we do, and can cause a negative spiral into depressing and dreadful feelings of inadequacy," says Eichler.

Gratitude is the reason for the season, after all. So instead of only seeing the negative, try some gratitude journal prompts to help you focus on what's actually really wonderful about your life right now.

Make An Effort To Deepen New Connections

While it may seem like everyone has friends and family to spend time with during the holiday season, that doesn't mean no one is available for deepening a blossoming relationship or new friendship.

"Make a list of people you can or would like to connect with, and try to reach out to at least one of them," advises Eichler.

Reaching out doesn't have to mean a big plan or an hour-long conversation. Even a quick text letting a friendly coworker know you're thinking about them can go a long way toward deepening the relationship and moving it in the direction of closer friendship.

Don't have an acquaintance in mind? Then it's time to make new acquaintances. What's more in line with the Christmas spirit than attending a Meetup or event full of people eager to make new friends?

"Join groups with similar interests to yours, such as hiking, baking, or games. Push your boundaries and be brave - you might find new people who have much in common with you."

Give Back

The holiday season is a great time to focus on giving back to your community, and coincidentally, acts of generosity and kindness are known to reduce loneliness and help people feel happier. One study found that knowing a few of your neighbors and doing small acts of kindness for them — such as cheering them up, listening to them, mowing their lawn, providing advice about local business recommendations and job opportunities, and chatting over the fence — was statistically correlated with feeling less lonely and having a lower risk of depression.

Helping out elderly neighbors can be a particularly gratifying way to give back.

"Notice older lonely people in your neighborhood or community who might have no family at all, and offer to help them," says Eichler. "These can become mutually meaningful connections, and help you 'adopt' a grandparent."

Connect With Others Online

Finally, use the Internet for its highest and best purpose: to connect people. Whether you're using Meetup to find in-person events, digital forums for having conversations about special interests, or programs like Circle for getting support from others in your situation, the opportunities to create new connections are practically endless.

"There are many interest groups that can be found digitally, where or any person can connect with others in the same life stage, going through the same challenges, or who would like to explore the same interests," Eichler states. "Meaningful connections can be formed easily in these circumstances. The Internet enables us to find and connect to people all over the world who fit this, and to whom we can become more easily attached, as we are able to find people with the exact interests that energize us."

With an oyster mushroom stuffing, you won't miss the turkey in this delicious and savory main meal by Farm Sanctuary Cafe Chef Gail Patak. Try the mashed potatoes and gravy recipes included too!

Loaded with chickpeas and lentils, this hearty cheatloaf makes for a perfect main to go alongside all of those tasty sides.

This recipe kicks your regular ol’ green beans up a few notches by adding crispy fried shallots, crunchy hazelnuts, and browned butter.

With minimal prep, this mouthwatering squash and sweet potato salad is the perfect addition to your holiday spread with sugared pecans and a drizzle of pomegranate molasses dressing.

Not into “tofurky?” Don’t worry, because this veggie-layered lasagna is delicious, filling, and meets all the requirements of being a Thanksgiving main with its autumnal flavors and comforting textures.

Throughout the cooler months, a starter soup is the way to go — especially if it’s a silky butternut squash soup slightly sweetened by apples.

These vegan and GF pot pies are brimming with robust mushrooms, carrots, and wholesome greens, then topped with crispy potatoes.

Here are four vegan desserts from Farm Sanctuary Chef Patak, including Pumpkin Bread, Pumpkin Bread pudding, Sweet Ricotta and Pine Nut Tart, and this delightful Caramel Apple Galette to satisfy all the sweet cravings.

Impress your fam and friends with this jaw-dropping tart filled with mashed potatoes, eggplant, carrots, cabbage, earthy rosemary, and your favorite plant-based gravy.

This savory gravy pairs well with a number of other Thanksgiving dishes. Its rich flavor is a show-stopper and its made with vegan butter instead of the typical kind.

This comfort food is so flavorful and is made with black rice, mushrooms, greens, and rice gratin. It is good for you and can also be made gluten-free!

This moist and tender cornbread is the perfect mix of sweet and savory. It's so easy to whip up and can be stored in the freezer for future indulgence!

Replace the iconic stuffed turkey by packing a flavor-filled tempeh sausage stuffing into soft roasted acorn squash boats.

These carrots are expertly coated in a sweet and sticky glaze that is seriously so delicious. The pomegranate seed garnish adds an extra layer of flavor and a pop of color.

These vegan mashed potatoes are oh-so-creamy and savory. They're the ultimate Thanksgiving staple!

This crave-worthy side tops a velvety sweet potato and apple sauce blend with crunchy pecans for a fall-inspired dish.

Roasted to a golden crisp, these Brussels sprouts bring warming spices and a hint of sweetness to your plate with curry powder and dried cranberries, and it.is.awesome.

This meat-free dish is savory and satiating. It's made with wholesome ingredients, including mushrooms, nuts, brown rice, and fresh herbs.

This stovetop mac and cheese is the ultimate Thanksgiving comfort food. It utilizes raw cashews instead of cheese, which may sound questionable, but trust me it's so good.

Stock up on naan, because you’ll want to dig into this vegan and GF dal all evening with its combination of lentils, onions, tomato, cumin, and curry leaves.

This delicious recipe swaps out the classic beef tenderloin for a savory mushroom filling. It's packed with flavor and equally as yummy as the original!

This vegan cranberry sauce is loaded up with flavor. It has orange juice, orange zest, rosemary, cinnamon, and a splash of booze (but that last one can be swapped out for orange juice)!

Thinly sliced sweet potatoes in a thick, cheesy, and sweet white pepper sauce? Sign me up!

It's not Thanksgiving without a basket of fresh, light, and fluffy biscuits. These Italian-style ones are mouth-watering and are sure to be a hit.

This recipe puts a vegan spin on a Thanksgiving fave so that *everyone* can enjoy it. Made with vegan cornbread, it’s packed with all the right flavors.

These yummy falafels are a must-have for your Thanksgiving spread. They're cozy, crispy, vegan, and gluten-free.

These vegan and gluten-free mushrooms and potatoes are made with chanterelles, caramelized onions, and crispy sage. They're seriously flavorful and something the entire group will enjoy.

This easy recipe tastes just like the traditional pecan pie recipe, just with vegan ingredients that allows the entire group to dig in! (via The Edgy Veg)

If you're looking for a warm and comforting dessert to enjoy after your scrumptious Thanksgiving meal, this vegan bread pudding is a winner. It has dried fruit, bourbon, cinnamon, and vegan custard.

Gilmore Girls: The Official Advent Calendar

This Rory- and Lorelai-approved advent calendar is packed to the brim with 25 Stars Hollow-themed trinkets, from keychains, and buttons to magnets and stickers so you can flaunt your Gilmore Girls fandom all year long.

Alo Advent Calendar

This pick by Alo is packed to the brim with 24 days of beauty, wellness, movement, and style must-haves which will give you or anyone you gift it to the ultimate health reset.

Advent Shower Steamer Set

This advent calendar features 24 different shower steamers for a wholesome 'treat yourself' moment as the holidays draw near.

Glamnetic Nail Lover's Gift Set

This advent calendar is filled with a week's worth of press-on nails, one of which is a limited-edition, never-seen-before design! This is the ideal gift for the beauty lover in your life.

Godiva 2024 Holiday Classic Chocolate Advent Calendar

Because chocolate always makes the best gift! This Godiva advent calendar comes complete with 24 assorted chocolates that range from milk, dark, and white. Kick off the most delicious time of year by gifting this indulgent set to your local chocolate lover, or yourself – just try not to sneak all the chocolates in one sitting!

Sephora Collection Advent Calendar

We'd gladly take a Sephora-themed advent calendar year-round, but this beauty-centric one makes the holidays feel a bit more special. Never say "no" to a treat-yourself moment! With this set, you'll unveil 24 different makeup, skincare, and bath goodies, accessories, plus an advent-exclusive inclusion.

Kylie Cosmetics Holiday Advent Calendar

This 12-day advent calendar from none other than Kylie Jenner herself features all her favorite makeup and skincare products that can help you (or your giftee) create versatile looks, from day to night.

MAC Cosmetics 24K Holiday Advent Calendar

Unwrap your glowiest glow with this luxurious MAC advent calendar! For 24 whole days (ideally leading up to Christmas, but we understand where you're coming from, early openers), you'll find only the best lip, base, eyes, and skin picks from the beloved brand. Sitting at an original value of $480, you can snag this baby for more than half-off for the holidays!

Typology Advent Calendar

Typology's 2023 advent calendar sold out in less than 48 hours last year, and it's already waitlisted for 2024 – but it's not to be missed, especially if you're gifting the design- and sustainability-forward beauty-lover in your life. This cal contains 15 full-size and 9 mini-size skincare products for the face, eyes, lips, and hands. It's super sleek yet unique, plus, it's constructed from FSC-certified paper to not only optimize space, but reduce its carbon footprint during transport. Get your name on the waitlist with the link here!

Sugarfina 24 Tastes Of Christmas Candy Advent Calendar

The holidays are the time to assume the character of Buddy the Elf and go all in on all the Christmas candies. This 24-day advent calendar features everything from creamy chocolates to fruity gummies to satisfy that sweet tooth and bring some very sugary Christmas cheer to the season. P.S. Sharing is caring!

Craftspring Linen Ornaments Advent Calendar

Your Christmas tree will be left looking utterly lush once you've made it through this adorable advent calendar. It's loaded with a mini ornament for every day, each one made from sustainably-harvested merino-blended wool. The hand-embroidered calendar base will truly last a lifetime, so you can use it every year, loading it with candies, teas, and beauty goodies – whatever you please!

L'Occitane 24 Days of Beauty Advent Calendar

This treasure chest of goodies for your skin, body, hair, and hands is well-worth the investment (a $115 value for just $84) considering you can get some good year-round use out of it. The contents will come in particularly handy for all your dry skin woes once winter is, well, wintering. The best part about this cal is you can keep what you want, then gift more minis to the skincare-obsessed in your life!

Compartés Winter Foxes Chocolate Advent Calendar

By far the coolest, most intricate chocolates we've tried, Compartés' offerings make the best holiday gifts. Opt for this 24 day-long advent calendar inspired by a mystical fox named Samson. Like Samson, you'll be able to cleverly venture out on a world of bite-sized chocolate treasures from the likes of Creme Brûlée, Campfire S'mores, and Blackberry Crumble. How yummy.

Lush Advent Calendar

Holiday prep can be stressful. Wind down and relax a bit each day with each of Lush's advent calendar surprises! From colorful bath bombs and home fragrances to beloved beauty picks from years past, this 24-day box is a total banger. Plus, if you don't see yourself using up each day's offering, you'll have some absolutely delightful gifts on-hand to give to your friends and fam.