Melanie Grace

Tag: FamilyTradition

  • How to Host Your Own Maysgiving

    You do not need seven years of practice to host Maysgiving. You need a table, a meal, and a decision to show up for the people you love.

    Here is how to start.

    I Picked a Date in May

    I schedule my Maysgiving on the fourth Thursday of May, just like we do for Thanksgiving. It marks the halfway point to Thanksgiving, and it gives the day the same kind of weight and intention. Put it on the calendar and let your family know! The act of scheduling it is itself part of the tradition. It says: this is happening. We are doing this.

    Keep the Menu Simple the First Year

    You do not have to cook everything from scratch to have a meaningful Maysgiving. A roast chicken works just as well as a turkey. Store-bought pie can absolutely sit next to homemade stuffing. The food is the vehicle, not the destination. Give yourself permission to start small.

    Be Intentional at the Table

    This is the piece that makes Maysgiving different from any other dinner. Take a few minutes before or during the meal to name what you are grateful for. You can keep it casual. Just go around the table. You can make it a whole thing if your family is into that. But say it out loud. That is what makes it Maysgiving instead of just dinner.

    Invite Someone New Each Year

    This is optional, but it has been one of my favorite parts of growing the tradition. Each year, consider inviting someone who might not have a big gathering to go to in May. Maysgiving has room for everybody.

    Make It Yours

    The best thing about Maysgiving is that there are no rules; well, at least my rules! The table belongs to you. Make the recipes yours. The traditions you build will be specific to your family, your kitchen, your people. Let it evolve. Let it surprise you.

    If you want a full guide, a collection of tested recipes, and all the stories from seven years of doing this, The Maysgiving Table has everything you need.

    Get The Maysgiving Table on Amazon and host your first Maysgiving this May

    A young boy laughing while sitting on a couch, with a colorful superhero-themed shirt, next to a decorative item. The background features a window with blinds and some greenery.

  • The Evolution of Maysgiving: A Family Tradition Story

    Seven Maysgivings. That is where we are.

    If you had told me seven years ago that I would still be doing this, that it would grow into something with recipes and traditions and meaning layered upon meaning, I think I would have laughed. I just wanted a reason to make stuffing in May.

    But here we are.

    Year One was the experiment. I was not sure anyone would take it seriously. My family showed up a little skeptical and left asking when we were doing it again. That was enough for me.

    Year Two, I started taking notes. Not formal ones, just little scribbles. What worked on the table, what felt right, what I wanted to remember. The cranberry sauce recipe got locked in that year. It has not changed since.

    Year Three brought more people and more food. I learned that Maysgiving scales beautifully. You can do it for four people or fourteen. The spirit is the same.

    Year Four was the one I almost skipped. Life was full. Schedules were impossible. But I set the table anyway, and I am so glad I did. That year reminded me that traditions are most important when they feel hardest to keep.

    Year Five, my boys started helping with the cooking. That changed everything. Watching them understand that we do this on purpose, that we choose gratitude, that we make it happen, was one of the most quietly beautiful parenting moments I have had.

    Year Six, I realized I had a real body of work on my hands. Seven years of recipes. Seven years of reflections. Seven years of stories from around the table. Something kept nudging me to write it down properly.

    Year Seven, I did.

    The Maysgiving Table started as a family dinner. It became a tradition. And now it is a book. A cookbook-memoir that holds everything I have learned, cooked, laughed over, and been grateful for across seven years of intentional celebration.

    Each Maysgiving has been different. Each one has taught me something. And all of it is in the book.

    Available Now!

    I even wrote a whole Thanksgiving Music Album!!! Enjoy a listen.