What To Wear For Thanksgiving

I cannot believe Thanksgiving is this week!

I'm working through Wednesday—and while it will be busy at the office with all of the extra emails we're sending out for holiday sales (plus working ahead for time off)—I got a good jump on things last Friday and am feeling a lot less stressed than I thought I might!

Chris and I are heading to his hometown on Wednesday night before celebrating Thanksgiving at his dad's on Thursday. He grew up in a town of roughly 700, and it's kind of fun to embrace small-town life for a few days. We're taking an untraditional route and bringing key lime pie for dessert, which I think will be refreshing after all the potatoes and stuffing. Then, on Friday we'll pick up my older sister who's flying in from Denver on our way to Rochester to spend the rest of the weekend with my parents.

My parents separated and divorced in the last two years (kind of out of the blue, after a lot of shit hit the fan and my dad was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's), so going home for the holidays isn't exactly the love fest it once was. It's stressful to figure out how to split the time, deal with one parent always being alone and accept that the traditions created over the last 27 years just aren't anymore. I used to not be able to drive home fast enough for the holidays, just to sit around together eating my mom's fancy appetizers by the fire—and some of that rosiness still exists—but there's of course the underlying reality that one parent isn't there.

On a bright note, it's slowly becoming slightly easier and hopefully that trend will only continue. But if you have anxiety or a bit of dread around this time of year, I get it. Real life: the holidays can be hard! Letting go of expectations helps (a lot).

All the more reason to wear something easy, right? Comfort is a priority for me on Thanksgiving, but I'm also used to dressing up a bit for the occasion. The solution? A fashion-y graphic sweatshirt, sophisticated midi (with elastic waistband) and leather boots.

The key to balancing comfort and style is really all in the shoes—a great pair of booties or pumps can make even a sweatshirt look chic. And no matter how many pieces of pie you eat, your shoes will still fit right and look great.

These Ann Taylor booties are perfect for Thanksgiving in Minnesota. While the forecast says sun, it's still only going to be 35º. These keep ankles covered and warm while instantly giving a casual sweatshirt a refined lift. They're the perfect shade of cognac with a super comfortable mid-heel—so helping out in the kitchen all morning is no-sweat—and elasticized side gussets make them easy to slip off when it's time to kick back on the couch for football.

Ann Taylor has so many great shoes right now. These leather booties also come in black (love!), and I've been eyeing the flat OTK boots for months. Building a killer shoe wardrobe starts with quality classics like these that you can pull out any day of the week, whether it's a holiday or a work day. Shop 5 classic boots to lift your look here.

My skirt is from a few years ago, but you can shop similar styles here if you're in the market for a chic and versatile alternative to a dress.

What are your Thanksgiving plans? More importantly—what shoes are you wearing? Whatever your holiday looks like, I hope you enjoy some turkey, time off and minimal family drama. Yay for a short week!