There is often a temptation for sellers to overprice their home, but Windermere agent, John McKenna, shares why that is a big mistake. Get insight into the psychology of the homebuyer and how to find a real estate agent that understands the science of pricing your home.

With all the cheer and celebration at this time of year, it’s hard to believe anything bad could happen. However, statistics show there’s a significant increase in home-related accidents, fires, and burglaries around the holidays. To protect your family, friends and property, heed these six suggestions:

1. Keep walkways, driveways and decks free of slippery ice or moss.
2. Have your fireplace professionally cleaned, and only use one artificial log at a time.
3. Check the batteries in all smoke detectors and make sure a working fire extinguisher is located on every floor, as well as the kitchen and garage.
4. Snuff out any candles before leaving the room (even for a short while), and make sure to always keep them in short holders with wide bases so they don’t fall over.
5. For holiday lights: Only use outdoor lights / extension cords in the outdoors, and plug them into GFCI protected outlets; make sure all lights are UL-approved; know that the smaller bulbs are safer; never leave them on when you’re not home.
6. Plug a few lamps and the TV or stereo into timers to make it appear someone is home while you’re away. Also, ask a neighbor to park their car in your driveway, pick up any mail and keep an eye out for any suspicious activity.

Making the extra effort to keep your home safe will always be the best gift you could give family, friends and other visitors.

Home Projects 1: Titan Homes, original photo on Houzz

1. Make a meaningful display. The walls in this dining room feature framed recipes from the homeowner’s grandmother, hung alongside treasured family heirloom serving dishes and other favorite pieces. Create your own meaningful display for the holidays and beyond by framing a favorite family recipe (handwritten is best!) or collection of china. For a twist on this idea, try decoupaging a handwritten recipe (use a photocopy if you want to preserve the original) onto a plate or platter to create a unique and personal art piece.

2. Poll family and friends about a decorating or renovation decision you’ve been waffling on. Trying to choose the right paint color, upholstery fabric or kitchen tile? Use the holiday weekend as an opportunity to poll the family and friends who come over — even if you don’t agree with their preferences, it can help you figure out what you do want!

Home Projects 2: Sophie Sarfati, original photo on Houzz

3. Make a handmade holiday gift in multiples. If you’d like to try your hand at homemade gifts this year, it can be tempting to choose a different craft for each person on your list — but this can be a recipe for disaster as the days count down to Christmas and half your list remains unfinished. To maximize your time (and the cost of tools and materials) think up a project that’s easily repeated, and gift a version of it to multiple people. The mugs shown here would make a great project: Take plain store-bought cups and personalize them with handwritten messages in permanent marker.

4. Try the KonMari method of tidying. By now you’ve probably read (or at least heard of) the phenomenally popular book on decluttering, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing, by Marie Kondo. Use the long weekend as an opportunity to try out her method of decluttering your home, starting with your clothes.

Home Projects 3: H2 Design + Build, original photo on Houzz

5. Decide on a new light fixture or two. New lighting can completely transform the look and feel of a space. Having a light fixture replaced is usually a quick and easy job — an electrician can typically get it done in about an hour, more if you’re relocating the fixture or if you want to add a light where none currently exists. Try replacing your old dining room fixture with a beautiful pendant light or pair of lanterns, or change out the row of lights above your kitchen island.

6. Finally put loose photos in albums. Dig out a box of photos you haven’t gotten around to sorting, have a stack of blank albums at the ready, and hold a photo-organizing session solo or with family. To get through a lot of photos in a single afternoon, keep your albums simple, with just a few notes about the people and places featured.

Home Projects 4: rigby & mac, original photo on Houzz

7. Sort through baby clothes to make a memory quilt. Even if you’re not a quilter yourself, you can hire someone locally to use the fabric you provide to create a one-of-a-kind keepsake quilt. Sift through all those boxes and bins of saved baby clothes and pull out the most meaningful and lovely pieces to include in the quilt — just imagine how wonderful it would be to enjoy using those sweet little clothes again, instead of hiding them away in a box!

8. Put up picture shelves. If putting up a gallery wall of artwork has you feeling overwhelmed, take a different approach and install a row of picture shelves instead. The horizontal lines give the display structure, so you can mix and match sizes and shapes of frames as much as you wish — and with picture shelves, you can swap out your artwork whenever the mood strikes, without measuring or adding nail holes.

Home Projects 5: Traditional Bathroom, original photo on Houzz

9. Repaint the bathroom. Typically the smallest room in the house, the bathroom or powder room also tends to have very little wall space thanks to the tile and fixtures, which makes it a quick room to make over with paint. If you’ve been living with a plain white or builder’s beige bathroom, why not try a paint color with a bit more oomph? Slate, charcoal, mocha and silvery green are all elegant choices for the bath.

10. Put new planters on the front porch. Add fresh greenery to your entrance with a pair of matching topiary flanking the front door. If your region experiences cold winters, choose evergreen plants that can stand up to the weather, like boxwood or juniper. This simple change is a sure way to boost curb appeal and make your home look more inviting.

By Laura Gaskill, Houzz

Home Projects 1: Titan Homes, original photo on Houzz

1. Make a meaningful display. The walls in this dining room feature framed recipes from the homeowner’s grandmother, hung alongside treasured family heirloom serving dishes and other favorite pieces. Create your own meaningful display for the holidays and beyond by framing a favorite family recipe (handwritten is best!) or collection of china. For a twist on this idea, try decoupaging a handwritten recipe (use a photocopy if you want to preserve the original) onto a plate or platter to create a unique and personal art piece.

2. Poll family and friends about a decorating or renovation decision you’ve been waffling on. Trying to choose the right paint color, upholstery fabric or kitchen tile? Use the holiday weekend as an opportunity to poll the family and friends who come over — even if you don’t agree with their preferences, it can help you figure out what you do want!

Home Projects 2: Sophie Sarfati, original photo on Houzz

3. Make a handmade holiday gift in multiples. If you’d like to try your hand at homemade gifts this year, it can be tempting to choose a different craft for each person on your list — but this can be a recipe for disaster as the days count down to Christmas and half your list remains unfinished. To maximize your time (and the cost of tools and materials) think up a project that’s easily repeated, and gift a version of it to multiple people. The mugs shown here would make a great project: Take plain store-bought cups and personalize them with handwritten messages in permanent marker.

4. Try the KonMari method of tidying. By now you’ve probably read (or at least heard of) the phenomenally popular book on decluttering, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing, by Marie Kondo. Use the long weekend as an opportunity to try out her method of decluttering your home, starting with your clothes.

Home Projects 3: H2 Design + Build, original photo on Houzz

5. Decide on a new light fixture or two. New lighting can completely transform the look and feel of a space. Having a light fixture replaced is usually a quick and easy job — an electrician can typically get it done in about an hour, more if you’re relocating the fixture or if you want to add a light where none currently exists. Try replacing your old dining room fixture with a beautiful pendant light or pair of lanterns, or change out the row of lights above your kitchen island.

6. Finally put loose photos in albums. Dig out a box of photos you haven’t gotten around to sorting, have a stack of blank albums at the ready, and hold a photo-organizing session solo or with family. To get through a lot of photos in a single afternoon, keep your albums simple, with just a few notes about the people and places featured.

Home Projects 4: rigby & mac, original photo on Houzz

7. Sort through baby clothes to make a memory quilt. Even if you’re not a quilter yourself, you can hire someone locally to use the fabric you provide to create a one-of-a-kind keepsake quilt. Sift through all those boxes and bins of saved baby clothes and pull out the most meaningful and lovely pieces to include in the quilt — just imagine how wonderful it would be to enjoy using those sweet little clothes again, instead of hiding them away in a box!

8. Put up picture shelves. If putting up a gallery wall of artwork has you feeling overwhelmed, take a different approach and install a row of picture shelves instead. The horizontal lines give the display structure, so you can mix and match sizes and shapes of frames as much as you wish — and with picture shelves, you can swap out your artwork whenever the mood strikes, without measuring or adding nail holes.

Home Projects 5: Traditional Bathroom, original photo on Houzz

9. Repaint the bathroom. Typically the smallest room in the house, the bathroom or powder room also tends to have very little wall space thanks to the tile and fixtures, which makes it a quick room to make over with paint. If you’ve been living with a plain white or builder’s beige bathroom, why not try a paint color with a bit more oomph? Slate, charcoal, mocha and silvery green are all elegant choices for the bath.

10. Put new planters on the front porch. Add fresh greenery to your entrance with a pair of matching topiary flanking the front door. If your region experiences cold winters, choose evergreen plants that can stand up to the weather, like boxwood or juniper. This simple change is a sure way to boost curb appeal and make your home look more inviting.

Well, it’s December; the time of year when we look to our crystal ball and offer our housing market predictions for the coming year. And by crystal ball we mean Windermere’s Chief Economist, Matthew Gardner, who has been travelling up and down the West Coast giving his annual forecast to a variety of real estate and financial organizations. Last month’s surprising election results have created some unknowns, but based on what we do know today, here are some thoughts on the current market and what you can expect to see in 2017.

HOUSING SUPPLY: In 2016 the laws of supply and demand were turned upside down in a majority of markets along the West Coast. Home sales and prices rose while listings remained anemic. In the coming year, there should be a modest increase in the number of homes for sale in most major West Coast markets, which should relieve some of the pressure.

FIRST-TIME BUYERS: We’re calling 2017 the year of the return of the first-time buyer. These buyers are crucial to achieving a more balanced housing market. While rising home prices and competition will act as a headwind to some first timers, the aforementioned modest uptick in housing inventory should help alleviate some of those challenges.

INTEREST RATES: Although interest rates remain remarkably low, they will likely rise as we move through 2017. Matthew Gardner tells us that he expects the 30-year fixed rate to increase to about 4.5 percent by year’s end. Yes, this is well above where interest rates are currently, but it’s still very low.

HOUSING AFFORDABILITY: This remains one of the biggest concerns for many West Coast cities. Some markets continue to see home prices escalating well above income growth. This is unsustainable over the long term, so we’re happy to report that the rate of home price appreciation will soften in some areas. This doesn’t mean prices will drop, but rather, the rate of growth will begin to slow.

Last but not least, we continue to hear concerns about an impending housing bubble. We sincerely believe these fears to be unfounded. While we expect price growth to slow in certain areas, anyone waiting for the floor to fall on housing prices is in for a long wait. Everything we’re seeing points towards a modest shift towards a more balanced market in the year ahead.

Our Windermere offices really love the holiday season. It’s a time when they can get together to collect food, host holiday events, and raise money to help those in need in their communities. From putting together Thanksgiving meals, to hosting food drives and auctions, our agents really get into the spirit of giving. Here are just a few of the events taking place throughout our network during the holiday season.

Jump Into the Holidays Bazaar

On November 19, the Windermere Kelso/Longview office hosted its first holiday bazaar to benefit the Windermere Foundation, to provide support to local non-profits in the community that serve low-income and homeless families. More than 20 vendors participated in the bazaar, offering items to purchase for holiday giving. Over $1,300 was raised at this event.

Thanksgiving Meals for Dorothy House

For the past 15 years, brokers from the Windermere Bellingham-Bakerview, Bellingham-Fairhaven, Birch Bay-Blaine, and Lynden offices have gotten together to provide the ingredients to put together full Thanksgiving meals for Dorothy House, a local safe housing community for domestic violence victims. This year they assembled 24 meals for Dorothy House, which has 22 apartments for women and children.

Woodinville Winterfest

For over 10 years, the Windermere Woodinville office has hosted a holiday event at its office featuring photos with Santa and refreshments. This year, their annual event was a part of the November 27 Woodinville Winterfest and included a Woodinville Wine Country wine and beer garden, and local bites. Cash and toy donations were collected for The Forgotten Children’s Fund.

An Evening with The Great Gatsby

This past month, the Windermere Stellar offices in Vancouver, Washington hosted their fourth annual live and silent auction to benefit the Children’s Justice Center. Nearly $200,000 was raised at this event. Through the Windermere Foundation, over $481,300 has been donated to the CJC over the past four years, which has helped them expand their family outreach and support program.

Windermere Wreath Fundraiser

The Windermere Ellensburg office is holding its second annual wreath fundraiser. Fresh 24-inch wreaths handmade by Snowshoe Evergreen can be purchased from the Windermere office from November 28 until supplies last. All proceeds benefit the Windermere Foundation, to assist local non-profits that provide services to children in need in the Ellensburg area.

16^th Windermere for Kids Event

Since 1998, brokers from the Windermere Bellevue, Bellevue South, Bellevue West, Issaquah, Redmond, and Yarrow Bay offices get together to hold a “Windermere for Kids” event in lieu of a company Holiday party. With help from local non-profit organizations, 100 children in need between the ages of 7 and 12 are selected to participate. Each child receives a $225 gift card to Target and is partnered with a broker who helps the child select gifts for members of their family. And a gift for each child is purchased as well. The gifts are then taken to wrapping stations that are manned by Windermere brokers. While the children wait for their gifts to be wrapped, there are photos with Santa, crafts, food and beverages to keep them busy. Almost $250,000.00 has been donated throughout the years.

Free Santa Photos & Dickens Carolers

The Windermere Northlake office hosted its annual holiday event on December 3, featuring free photos with Santa and Dickens Carolers. Food donations are collected each year to benefit Hopelink, a non-profit social service agency that provides services to families in need in North and East King County, WA.

Windermere Stellar Lloyd Tower Silent Auction

The Windermere Portland – Lloyd Tower office is hosting a silent auction benefiting the Windermere Foundation on December 8. This night market will be full of gifts to bid on, including wine bundles, dinner parties, sporting events, gift certificates,  and more.

8^th Annual Spaghetti Feed/Auction

Hosted by the Windermere Snohomish office on December 10, this fun community event features live music while Windermere brokers cook and serve the meals. Tickets are $10 for a full dinner with dessert. Proceeds benefit the Snohomish Food Bank.

Mercer Island Youth and Family Services Holiday Program

The Windermere Mercer Island office will host its 19^th annual event for Mercer Island Youth and Family Services on December 12. The office gathers wished-for gifts and delivers them to MIYFS, which serves hundreds of local families.

3^rd Annual Food Drive for Contra Costa & Solano Counties

From October 1 through December 15, agents from the Windermere Walnut Creek-Diablo Realty and Windermere El Sobrante offices are collecting food for the Food Bank of Contra Costa & Solano Counties. Nearly 100 agents will collect food donations during this drive. The food bank serves 188,000 people each month and distributes over 50,000 pounds of food every day. Last year, these offices collected nearly 1,000 pounds of food. They hope to surpass this number this season.

Windermere Professional Partners Holiday Food Drive

Each year, the Windermere Professional Partners offices in North Tacoma, Central Tacoma, University Place, and Gig Harbor hold an annual food drive  to support a local food bank. All four office locations serve as donation drop-off sites, and agents also distribute paper bags throughout the community for the public to fill and bring in donations. This year the drive will support FISH Food Bank in Gig Harbor, as well as Families Unlimited Network in University Place.

5^th Annual Gingerbread House Contest

The Windermere Wailea office is hosting its 5th Annual Gingerbread House Contest to benefit the Windermere Foundation. Drop by their office in the Shops at Wailea to view all the gingerbread houses created by the office’s agents and their families, and cast a vote for your favorite one. Voting ends on December 20. Ballots submitted will be entered into a raffle drawing for a $100 gift certificate. For every live/in-person vote cast in the office, a dollar will be donated to the Windermere Foundation.

Thank you to everyone that supports the Windermere Foundation. Through these events, drives, as well as a variety of other fundraisers held by our offices throughout the year, the Windermere Foundation is able to continue to support non-profit organizations that provide services to low-income and homeless families throughout the Western U.S.

If you’d like to help, please consider donating to the Windermere Foundation. To learn more about the Windermere Foundation, visit http://www.windermere.com/foundation.

From a stunning mantel display to an elegant table setting, you can capture the magic of the holiday season in festive touches that are certain to make your home even more merry and memorable. The white-on-white design trend is definitely at the top of most luxury designers’ lists these days, and this extends to Christmas décor, as well. For some stylish inspiration, take a cue from these beautiful holiday decorating ideas.

This year it’s all about seasonal glamour, metallic flourishes meet elegant finishes for a luxury look to perfectly complement Christmas time at home.

Metallic decor is very popular for decor today because it’s stylish and gives a refined and elegant touch to any space. Silver and gold are the most used shades but copper has become a leader recently because of its soft and warm shade.

White and gold décor can be bland without a deeper anchor color. Black accents lay low while bringing out the brightness of the white and metallic accents.

A huge part of the white on white decorating trend this year is the flocked Christmas tree.

If you are feeling devoid of color, adding a small amount of red to a flocked tree makes a huge impact.

A light touch of pastel blue gives a softer impact while evoking the feeling of Christmas at Tiffanys.

With all this white on white minimalism, you might start to feel a little snow blind – or simply bored. Another trend on the horizon is blue and green, inspired by the favored Peacock décor from the Victorian era.

The vivid colors are stunning on a white tree and blends very well with metallic accents in the home.

So what do the experts advise for decorating a tree? Here are a few tips to help guide you:

When in doubt, go for more lights. Nothing beats a well-lit tree.

Take a break and step away from the tree. It never hurts to revisit an hour later. You can often make just the right tweaks when you come back and look at something with a new set of eyes.

Don’t take decorating your tree too seriously. It is a tradition and is meant to evoke memories. Showcase your personality with your favorite ornaments and have fun with it.

Do what you love. You can be as creative as you want with your Christmas tree, so decorate it with whatever you’re into; shells, birds, or anything else. Just because you’re trimming a tree doesn’t mean you have to incorporate traditional standards.

Don’t love your popcorn ceiling? You’re not the only one stuck with some unwanted stucco overhead. There are many options for moving on from it, but not all of them are equally effective — or equally easy. To help you decide how to address your popcorn problem, here are some top ways to remove, cover or distract from stucco ceilings.

Related: How to Decorate Your Ceiling

Popcorn Ceiling 1: The Kitchen Source, original photo on Houzz

From the 1950s to the 1980s, so-called popcorn ceilings (with their prickly stucco texture resembling the popular movie theater snack) were a major architectural staple in America and many other nations.

Eventually the asbestos commonly used in the application was found to be toxic, and demand severely dropped.

However, a textured ceiling does have its advantages. It reduces echoes and hides ceiling plane imperfections, which is why it’s still used (in asbestos-free formulations) today, as shown in the bathroom here.

Despite its practical uses, popcorn ceilings, for many people, are considered an unfashionable eyesore, especially with contemporary demand for “clean lines.” Also, popcorn ceilings can gather dust and be difficult to clean or repaint, which means they don’t always age beautifully.

But don’t worry. You’ve got plenty of options.

Popcorn Ceiling 2: Designs by Gia Interior Design, original photo on Houzz

Ceiling Scraping

The good news is a sprayed-on stucco coating can be scraped off to reveal the original ceiling surface, a process usually known simply as “ceiling scraping” or “stucco removal.” A specialist typically does this because (here’s the bad news) the process can be somewhat costly at around $1 to $2 per square foot. It’s a messy, labor-intensive process, hence the high cost.

Also, in some cases, the results may not achieve the crispness of a ceiling that had not been stuccoed in the first place, especially if the stucco has been painted over, which greatly complicates the removal process.

Even in the best cases the exposed ceiling will typically require at least some smoothing and patching to create a more even and crisp final product, which makes this an extensive and relatively challenging undertaking for DIYers.

While ceiling stucco no longer uses asbestos in modern applications, homes built before 1980 (or even in the early ’80s while old stucco products were still stocked) may include asbestos. If there is any doubt, a professional asbestos test should be conducted before any resurfacing, which could release heavily toxic dust.

Ceiling Replacement

One of the simplest alternatives to scraping is removing and replacing the ceiling drywall. Alternately, you can have the ceiling layered over with new drywall. The drop in the ceiling plane will often be minimal, and this method can encase asbestos rather than releasing it into the air, delaying the issue, if not resolving it.

Redrywalling a ceiling will cost closer to $4 to $6 per square foot, but the results will be more predictable.

Popcorn Ceiling 3: Diament Builders, original photo on Houzz

Covering Stucco

Speaking of layering, there are many other materials besides drywall that can be installed over a popcorn ceiling, many of which add extra personality to a room.

Related: Keep Your Cottage Cool

Beadboard. Classic beadboard makes a charming ceiling treatment, and not just in a rustic cottage. Painted white, the subtle texture of beadboard paneling works well in traditional spaces or modern ones, adding a layer of depth in an unconventional place.

Popcorn Ceiling 4: Spinnaker Development, original photo on Houzz

Panels of beadboard often cost less than 50 cents per square foot, making this a very affordable option, especially for handy DIYers.

For a contemporary twist, try finishing the ceiling in a gloss paint, as shown here. This slow-drying finish will take more labor to complete, but the results have incredible depth and elegance.

Warm wood. If you’re not into painted beadboard, try multitonal wood for a rich, inviting treatment that’s great for a den or sitting area. Contrast it with white molding and crossbeams, or let the wood speak for itself. This approach works well with rustic decor, as a gentle touch in a modernist space or somewhere in between.

Popcorn Ceiling 5: Bravehart Design Build, original photo on Houzz

Pressed tin. Whether you use true pressed tin tiles or a fiber substitute, this classic ceiling look recalls speak-easy style and makes a great cover-up for a kitchen ceiling. You can paint it white or pale gray to keep the look breezy, or an inky dark hue (like charcoal or navy) for moody atmosphere. Or choose a metallic finish for extra sheen and drama.

Many companies now provide faux pressed tin and other panel systems specifically designed to cover stuccoed or damaged ceilings. They typically cost $1 to $5 per square foot.

To have a professional install these materials for you, expect to pay several hundred dollars extra.

Popcorn Ceiling 6: The Morson Collection, original photo on Houzz

Other Options

Lighting. Sometimes the best way to deal with ceiling stucco is to de-emphasize it, and <a href=‘http://www.houzz.com/photos/ceiling-lighting’>smart lighting choices</a> can go a long way toward that.

Notice how the lighting hitting this stucco wall emphasizes the texture. Great when the effect is desired. To avoid highlighting unwanted ceiling stucco, choose lights that aim downward, rather than upward or outward, so light is cast on beautiful surfaces below and not on your ceiling itself.

Try pot lights, or semi-flush-mounts (or pendants) with an opaque shade to aim light downward rather than multiple directions.

Paint. Ultimately, the best way to deal with a popcorn ceiling may simply be to learn to live with it. Think about it: How many people do you know who live with popcorn ceilings? I bet you can’t specifically remember who has it or doesn’t, because unless a ceiling is highlighted, we don’t typically spend much time looking at it.

Try painting the walls and the ceiling the same color to blur the lines between them, and then create drama at ground level to draw the eye down. You’ll soon forget about your stucco altogether.

By Yanic Simard, Houzz

Most of us already have our “ways” of doing Thanksgiving – ways our mother did it, ways our extended family did it, ways our neighborhood did it. Thanksgiving doesn’t lend itself well to trying out new traditions, but sometimes the situation calls for it – you can’t make it home for Thanksgiving, for example, or you have a family now and want to start traditions of your own. So what can you do to heighten, deepen, and extend Thanksgiving to its most memorable end?

1. Start the day with an indulgent, relaxing breakfast.

While some people are firmly in the “no breakfast” camp to save room for the big meal later, we love the idea of starting the day in such a festive, delicious way! Pancakes, waffles, eggs, even pie – it’s all good.

2. Take time for yourself before time with family.

As wonderful as Thanksgiving can be, we all know it can be exhausting and overwhelming. That’s why it’s such a good idea to deliberately take a little time for yourself during the day to make sure you enjoy the holiday on your terms.

3. Remember loved ones who have passed.

Holidays can be bittersweet when beloved family members or friends are missing from the gathering. Look through old photo albums and recall funny, tender or important achievements of those who are gone but not forgotten.

4. Write your thanks on a butcher paper tablecloth.

Cover the table with butcher paper. During the meal, distribute pens and ask each family member to write down a few things they’re thankful for on the paper and then take turns reading them out loud. We love the practice during the Thanksgiving meal of naming things you’re thankful for, and this is a unique way to do it – especially since you can tear off and save particularly meaningful memories.

5. Let everyone toast!

Another way to make gratitude gushing even more festive is to let everyone make a toast. Raise your glass to the year, to your family, to your friends!

6. Have the kids serve dessert.

Let the bigger kids get in on the action of serving to their family.  Put them in charge of delivering dessert and coffee after the meal. The oldest can plate and pour while the younger kids can take orders and serve. It keeps them busy after the meal while the adults talk and gives them a broader sense of appreciation for the holiday.

7. Have Thanksgiving dinner early.

Planning for a 3 p.m. dinner shifts the momentum of the day. An earlier meal creates a more relaxed celebration, plus there’s plenty of time to digest before going to bed.  An earlier dinner also accommodates traveling guests and lets them return home at a reasonable hour.

8. Take a long walk together after dinner.

No one is ready for dessert right after dinner anyway, so why not take that time to go on a long walk with your loved ones? Enjoy the cool, crispy (and hopefully dry) autumn weather and get the blood flowing again after all that rich food.

9. If it’s just two of you, really treat yourself.

It can be hard to justify making a huge Thanksgiving meal when it’s just two of you, but that doesn’t mean it has to be any less special, or even any less of a treat. In fact, it should be more so. Make it special by treating yourselves to nicer ingredients and better wine than you would normally use if you were cooking for a large group.

10. Stay connected with family members far away.

If you can’t be with your loved ones on Thanksgiving, thankfully you can still be together – just virtually! Do a video call or Google Hangout before dinner, or Facetime family members in for the giving-thanks portion of the evening.

This article originally appeared on WindermereSeattle.com