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Celebrate Your First Thanksgiving as a Couple 

Whether you are married or dating, these seven ideas will help you celebrate your first Thanksgiving together as a couple. This major relationship milestone is fun but also tricky to plan. Some of the compromises include: how to schedule each person’s extended family dinner, how to find time as a couple, what activities to plan, and what kind of food to cook. But Thanksgiving is all about giving thanks and expressing gratitude. The most important part of this holiday is to express gratitude for your partner by spending time together. When you spend quality time together during the holidays, you make special memories and grow as a couple. This Thanksgiving, start some new couple’s traditions with these seven creative ideas!  

7 Ways to Celebrate Your First Thanksgiving as a Couple  

Make a smaller meal for two, combining your all-time favorite Thanksgiving foods.

Host your own private Thanksgiving dinner for two at home! Compromise on the meal by cooking each of your top three favorite foods and creating your own family meal. This could literally just be side dishes (they’re the best part of the meal anyway!) or a crazy combination of favorite family recipes. Even if you are having Thanksgiving dinner with relatives, it can be fun and romantic to have your own meal together.   

Start a new couple’s tradition.

There’s no reason your Thanksgiving weekend has to be booked solid with extended family gatherings. Try to draw some friendly boundaries and spend time together, just the two of you. Start a new Thanksgiving tradition like taking a long hike, walking the dogs, getting brunch at your favorite restaurant, or visiting a winery and playing board games. When you create your own traditions, you become closer as a couple and establish a unique routine for your little family unit.  

Travel to make memories.

Make this Thanksgiving unforgettable by taking a short road trip or travelling out-of-state for the long weekend. Spend the weekend hiking, skiing, or curling up by the fire in a cozy cabin. Visit a spa hotel for room service and couple’s massages. Mini vacations are perfect getaways to make memories. Capture photos along the way and frame them to remember your Thanksgiving adventures.  

Host a Friendsgiving party.

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As a holiday that’s all about giving back and expressing gratitude, it’s a perfect time to host a meal for good friends! Friends are often like family, and they provide so much love and support. Friendsgiving can also sometimes be more relaxing and casual compared to a formal family get-together. Invite single friends and couples over for dinner, games, and lots of wine!  

Count your blessings as a couple.

At Thanksgiving, we remember all the things we are grateful for. For this Thanksgiving activity, write down why you are grateful for your partner. Remember all the big things, but the small things too. At dinner, exchange notes and read them out loud. These thankful messages will make each of you feel even more loved and blessed on the holiday.  

Treat yourselves to Black Friday shopping.

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 Black Friday offers some of the best deals and sales all year. Look for holiday gifts on sale that you can exchange during the holidays. Online stores have plenty of sales, so you don’t need to leave your house! As you shop, look for meaningful couple’s gifts you can enjoy together. A personalized gift like the Book of Us captures your love story on every page and is uniquely customized for the two of you. You can edit every page with special love messages and display it as a coffee table book in your home.  

Black Friday is also a perfect time to look for items you can purchase for your life together. Consider purchasing a new gaming system, a new television, updated bedding, kitchen appliances, or cooking equipment.   

Volunteer or donate your time.

On Thanksgiving weekend, give back by volunteering at a soup kitchen or collect items to donate at a food shelf. Often people donate around the holidays but then stop giving. Food shelves are then left empty when the holiday is over. Collect donation items to give once Thanksgiving is over, to keep their shelves well stocked. You can also create a volunteer sign-up sheet and invite friends or family to sign up for volunteer times once Thanksgiving is over. 

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5 BFF Trip Ideas: Affordable Vacation Planning with Your Best Friend

Make unforgettable memories with your best friend this year and plan an epic BFF trip! These five trip ideas promise laughter and fun at affordable prices. Best friend getaways are the perfect time to grow even closer together, so why wait to start your next adventure! 

Labor Day weekend trip to Vegas 

Unwind with your best friend with a long weekend vacation that has everything: pools, warm weather, casinos, shopping, fine dining, clubs for dancing, and dazzling shows. Las Vegas offers some of the best hotel deals during Labor Day weekend. Share a room to split costs, purchase discount show tickets on the strip, and forget taxi costs because you can walk everywhere or take the free tram! Be sure to check out the Bellagio fountain show and the Mirage fountain show.  

Condo rental on the beach 

Enjoy a luxury best friend getaway without the hefty price tag of a four-star hotel! Online rental sites like Airbnb™ offer affordable condo rentals right on the beach. Stock the fridge with food and snacks and spend your days relaxing on the beach.  

Best friend road trip across country 

Grab your bestie and take an amazing cross-country road trip together! A summer road trip is the perfect adventure for making new memories. Be sure to snap pics along the way! When the vacation is over, create a personalized best friend gift such as the Book of Us™. Customize the book with funny stories or quotes from your adventures together and remember your vacation forever! BFF road trips aren’t just about sightseeing—they’re about the little things too: singing road songs in the car, feeding each other snacks while driving, watching the sunset, and telling each other funny stories and secrets. This best friend vacation is the perfect way to live your best life, spending it with someone you love!  

Glamping in California 

Take the traditional camping trip to the next level with this best friend vacation! A glamping trip combines the beauty of nature with comfortable accommodations. California offers beautiful weather year-round and gorgeous places to go glamping. Stay in a luxury tent with electricity and running water, a ranch, a mountain park, a luxe RV, or even a safari tent in the heart of wine country on the Sonoma Serengeti! Bond with your bestie on this summer vacay.  

Backpack through Europe (on the cheap!)  

A best friend trip to Europe might seem beyond your budget, but it’s definitely within reach! Backpacking through Europe is an exciting and affordable trip for you and your bestie. The most expensive part is the round-trip flight. Check out flight deals on Expedia, Hotels.com, and other online discount sites. You can also save up and use a program like Delta Skymiles®  to comp your flight. Consider a rail pass like Eurail Pass to travel between countries. This pass is a single ticket that allows unlimited travel on nearly every train in Europe! Review all the rail pass options and select the best one for your travel needs. As you hop to different countries, book your stay through Airbnb™ or stay at hostels for affordable accommodations. The best part about Europe is that sightseeing is free! There are countless monuments, buildings, and free museums to visit and explore.  

A BFF trip is the best way to make lifelong memories! Take a vacation with someone you love and grow stronger together. You will remember this vacation for years to come.  

Resources:

https://thesavvybackpacker.com/rail-pass-europe-guide-eurail/ ​

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5 Ways to Keep Your Long-Distance Friendship Strong

Keep your friendship strong when your best friend moves long-distance with these simple and fun tips. When your best friend moves away, it can put a strain on the relationship. But when you set aside some time each week and put in the effort, your friendship can become stronger than before. Avoid getting stuck in your own head, thinking about miles and separation, and focus on your strong bond. These ways to maintain your friendship will make a powerful impact in the long run.  

Use a video chat App like Marco Polo.  

Find creative ways to communicate with a video chat app like Skype, Facetime, WhatsApp, or our recommended app: Marco Polo. These video chat apps make communicating simple and easy. Use an app on your phone for talking on-the-go. The Marco Polo app is especially easy to use because it enables you to record and send videos to your friend—like a friendship YouTube channel! Access your phone anytime and watch the latest video from your best friend, without having to live chat. With the ability to record videos around your schedule, you’ll maintain your friendship with ease. It’s also fun having a video to look forward to after a long work day!  

One of Book of Us’ employees personally uses Marco Polo to send videos to her long-distance best friend every day! She says, “I’ve known my best friend for fifteen years. When she moved to a different state years ago, we started using a video chat app to stay in touch. We are now better friends than we ever were living in the same state. Like making a video diary, I feel like I can send her videos about everything happening in my life. Any time I watch a video, it’s like she’s in the room with me.” 

Talk weekly, even daily, by email, phone, or social media.  

 Schedule time to chat weekly, or daily, to maintain a strong and healthy long-distance friendship. It’s easy to be discouraged by the lack of proximity or feel jealous that your friend might be forming other friendships. These feelings will subside, and things will feel more “normal”, the more you communicate with your friend. Regular chats will maintain a solid foundation and strengthen your bond.   

Be honest in your communication. Don’t sugar coat your feelings!  

In the same way it’s easy to “fake it” on social media, it’s dangerously appealing to pretend with long-distance friends and gloss over our true feelings. Stay honest and tell your friend what’s bugging you or stressing you out. Tell your friend how much you miss them—don’t be afraid to communicate your sadness or frustration. This line of honest communication will bring you closer together.  

Send surprise packages and presents.  

Surprise your best friend with fun packages of goodies and presents! Include your friend’s favorite candy, movie, and popcorn. A personalized book such as Book of Us™  is a thoughtful gift, customized with your memories and photos— a loving reminder of your friendship. Holidays are also a perfect time to connect with our best friends. Send handwritten holiday cards at Halloween and Christmas. If your friend is sick, care packages show you are thinking about them on the daily. The occasional best friend gift is a thoughtful way to stay connected in a long-distance friendship and bring a smile to your friend.  

Take a best friend trip.  

Travel with your best friend on an epic best friend trip and make new memories together. A best friend trip doesn’t have to break the bank either. Travel to where they live for a quick weekend getaway and spend time together doing all the simple things you can’t do now, like chatting over coffee, getting a mani-pedi, catching up over lunch and drinks, or taking a hike or a walk. If your budget is more flexible, take an exciting girlfriend getaway or guys vacay at a destination spot. If you need inspiration for traveling with your bestie, here are some vacation ideas to travel with your best friend:  

San Diego, California: Bike, hike and swim on a warm and sunny weekend adventure. 

New York, New York: Take in a Broadway show, eat a slice of pizza in Times Square, and visit the museums.  

New Orleans, Louisiana: Enjoy a guided tour of the city while munching on beignets and po-boys.  

Nashville, Tennessee: Rock out to the best live music and dance in your finest cowboy boots.  

Miami, Florida: This sunny destination spot features stunning beaches and pools. Pick a hotel with a spa and relish a tranquil day of pampering.  

Las Vegas, Nevada: Vacations at Vegas are fun and inexpensive, with plenty of hotel deals year-round. Splurge on a Cirque du Soleil show, spend a day shopping at the Forum Shops in Caesars Palace, and relax by the pool for some best friend R&R.  

Harry Potter World at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida: Release your inner Harry Potter nerd and geek out at the most magical place on earth! Harry Potter World at Universal Studios is a perfect best friend vacation, with detailed theme rides, Butterbeer (try the soft serve Butterbeer ice cream!), and shopping galore.  

Austin, Texas: If you and your bestie are foodie fiends, Austin boasts some of the best barbeque and Tex-Mex. Enjoy the beautiful weather, take a food tour around the city, and enjoy the city’s live-music scene.  

Along with these long-distance friendship tips, remember: friendship is an ever-evolving relationship. Friendships will change over time, and distance can make an impact. But speaking on a weekly basis, staying honest to your true feelings, and finding time to travel together will further your friendship.  ​