We are deeply saddened over the events in France and want to say that our hearts and prayers are with Paris and the families whose lives were changed forever Friday evening. Ironically, we had just taken this picture of a wonderful American shop in Paris called Thanksgiving Paris just hours before the tragic events unfolded. There has always been a special bond between France and America and when we came across this store on Friday, for us, it symbolized that bond (and a bit of a home away from home) even if in a modest way. This Thanksgiving at Modern Kids Design we’ll be praying for love and peace for everyone and, of course, like you, we’ll be thinking that we have so much to be thankful for. Here is our post as originally penned…

Halloween is over (even if the kids aren’t quite ready to put their costumes away) and stores everywhere are prepared for the holidays—but what about Thanksgiving? We love gathering around the table with our loved ones and eating a delicious meal while we share what we’re thankful for. So we’ve been thinking about how we can “green up” this joyous occasion. Here are some tips to help make this an eco-friendly Thanksgiving. If you’ve got any ideas on how to do green Thanksgiving, let us know!

Organic Turkey

Buying organic is generally a given for avoiding certain types of pesticides and antibiotics, however purchasing a free-range turkey also takes into consideration the humane life the turkey hopefully led before it reached the table. A third option is purchasing a local turkey, which not only supports a farmer in your community, but also saves on transportation costs of the bird. If you’re lucky, all three options are available where you live.

Meatless Thanksgiving

Consider pardoning a turkey and opt for a meatless Thanksgiving. With more people choosing to forgo meat on certain days—or entirely—a meatless Thanksgiving could be a new tradition that allows you talk to your children about the things you value, like a healthy family and a healthy planet. A delicious vegetable lasagna made from seasonal vegetables will make everyone forget about turkey as they ask for seconds. Well, it probably depends on the family but you get the idea. 🙂 And there are so many great holiday meatless dishes to choose from these days. You can surely find something for everyone.

Local Produce

Visiting your local farmer’s market for seasonal produce will add gorgeous color to your table. Supporting local growers not only feels good, it also cuts out the travel time produce generally undergoes from a farm to a large supermarket. That means less fossil fuels used and less emissions threatening our environment.

Pass on the Canned Cranberries

Have you read your canned cranberry sauce label? If you haven’t, you might want to take a minute to investigate. Unless you are purchasing a specialty or organic sauce, most likely, high fructose corn syrup ranks high on the ingredient list. After taking such great care with your Thanksgiving meal, why invite this artificial sweetener to the table? There are many delicious cranberry recipes out there with all sorts of flavorful add ins. Cooking Light recently shared a medley of cranberry sauce recipes that run the gamut from classic to exotic. No one will miss the can when these cranberries are passed around the table.

Reusable Tableware

While disposable tableware can make a Thanksgiving feast easier to clean up, it can also wreak havoc on the environment. Consider using cloth napkins that can be tossed in the washer after the big day. The same goes for plates and cutlery. While paper plates alleviate the after-dinner cleanup, they pile up in landfills…. Not to mention the poor trees that went into making them. It’s more eco-friendly to use plates and cutlery that can be washed in a water-saving dishwasher and, as an added bonus, it can be made to look super elegant too. Get the gang to pitch in before dessert to make cleanup a breeze.

Eco-Friendly Decor

Bring autumn inside! Have the kids help gather pinecones, twigs, and lovely, colorful leaves to decorate the holiday table. There are plenty of crafts kids can make to help set the scene for a beautiful Thanksgiving meal. Here are three we found on Inhabitots by one of our favorite mom bloggers Jennie Lyon.

Give Back

At Modern Kids Design, we try to give back to our community whenever we can. We feel that supporting each other makes us all stronger. That’s why our Shop+Give program runs year round and we encourage you to check out the organizations and visit their websites directly too if you’d like to donate and support them. There are plenty of ways to give back to your community or to lend a helping hand. Consider making a visit to the soup kitchen or adding a charity 5K Turkey Run to one of your new family traditions to kick off the joy and giving spirit of the holiday season.

We’re grateful to be able to share these tips with you and, again, would love to hear yours as well. We hope you have a healthy and Happy Thanksgiving full of peace, love and laughter with family and friends.