The consensus here at Celebration Style is that taking the time to actually give thanks at our Thanksgiving tables has all but disappeared for most of us. It's not that we don't want to give thanks (of course we do). And we try, really. But it seems that once we sit down to Thanksgiving dinner, the best that most of us can come up with is to be thankful for our families, and our good health, and our relatives' good health … all very good things to be thankful for, but sort of, well, expected.

And if we, as adults, can't come up with anything else to give thanks for, how can we expect our kids to manage it? But even if they can -- if our kids have turned out to be the kind of wonderful, giving people that we're trying to raise them to be, and they have several things that they actually would like to give thanks for at the Thanksgiving table -- how do we spur them into a recitation of those thanks in front of a table full of dinner guests?

For those of you in the same predicament, we've got a great new way to help celebrate your thankfulness at your family table this Thanksgiving (and to keep your thoughts of thankfulness present all year long).

Sometime before Thanksgiving rolls around, create a "Thankfulness Jar". It can be as simple as an empty pickle jar and some scraps of notepaper, or it can be as beautiful and decorative as you like. Leave the Thankfulness Jar in a prominent place in your home, with a stack of paper and pencils at the ready. Explain to everyone that they should jot down anything that they are thankful for, at any time, and drop that "note of thanks" into the Thankfulness Jar.

If you have trouble getting started, encourage your kids to complete a note of thanks anytime you catch them saying "thank you" to someone in your household, or make a point of asking them regularly if they have anything they'd like to jot down. Before you know it, they (and you) will begin to recognize multiple things to be thankful for.

Give the Thankfulness Jar a prominent place at your Thanksgiving table and take turns reading each note of thanks before or during dinner. (Try to guess who wrote each note if it's not obvious, and involve all of your dinner guests in the reading of your notes as well.) You might chuckle at some of the items your children are thankful for, but you might also be pleasantly surprised at what they have chosen to include.

Then keep the Thankfulness Jar out all year long, if you're so inclined. We promise it will give your kids (and you) a better appreciation (and thankfulness) for all of the wonderful things in your life, all year long. And by next Thanksgiving, you'll have a huge head start.

With the holidays approaching, taking the time to celebrate anything other than the "required" events seems almost impossible. With school, work, family obligations, and the miscellaneous bits of "life" trying to squeeze their way into our schedules, it's a wonder we ever manage to celebrate anything.

So this year we'd like to give you a healthy head-start on your holiday celebrations to-do list with one suggestion -- simplify. We know you've heard that advice before, but this time really do it. Pick the one thing on each of your holiday celebration to-do lists that gives you the least pleasure to do, and find a better way to get it done.

Here's a few suggestions to get you started:

• Love to bake but hate to cook? Make pumpkin pies for everyone you know, but order a complete Thanksgiving dinner from your grocery store or local restaurant. Can't bear to eat take-out? Make one side dish a week in the month leading up to Thanksgiving and freeze -- then all you'll have left to do on the big day is to pop a turkey into the oven and defrost/reheat everything else.

• Enjoy shopping but hate wrapping gifts? Hire your neighbor's 14-year-old daughter to wrap your purchased presents in exchange for a little extra shopping money for herself.

• Love holiday entertaining but hate cleaning your house beforehand? Serve one signature drink instead of offering a full bar at this year's gathering, or make the celebration a potluck. Use the money saved to hire a cleaning service.

Hopefully that gives you a few ideas. Think about your to-do list. Be resourceful. Before you know it, you might even have time to ENJOY your holiday celebrations this year.

From the littlest tots all the way up to pre-teens, teens, and moms, everyone seems to love dressing up and acting just a little bit dainty once in a while. Fortunately for us girls, tea parties are all the rage these days. From birthday parties to family gatherings to afternoon get-togethers with friends, the tea party has become de riguer. And we should know -- here at Celebration Style, our signature "Sweet Tea Party" has become one of our most popular shindigs. We think it's probably because our Sweet Tea Parties are always unique -- from butterflies to strawberries to daisies, each one of our Sweet Tea Party themes is custom-designed for each new client. From the hand-crafted invitations to the elegant decor to the gourmet food, the experience is one-of-a-kind, giving a real taste of what it's like to be one of those "ladies who lunch".

So we're recommending that you take our advice and host a Sweet Tea Party for your closest friends, your book club, or your daughter's next birthday. Here at Celebration Style we can handle everything for you -- from the custom invitations to the elegantly-set table to the gourmet tea sandwiches and tea cakes. We'll also provide a spectacular assortment of dress-up clothes for the little ones to borrow, as well as charming, custom-selected gifts and favors for everyone. And you can just sit back and enjoy!

But if you'd like to tackle your own tea party, you know we won't let you down. Here are our best tips for creating an elegant and charming tea party on your own:

• A tea party just isn't the same without fine china or a silver tea set. If you don't want to use your best china and you don't have (or can't borrow) a tea set, scour the local thrift stores -- you'll find plenty of tea cups, saucers, and silver-plated serving trays at an affordable price.

• Dressing up is half the fun. Instruct everyone to wear their best party dresses, or provide a selection of finery to borrow. (You might want to pick up some fancy hats, beads, feather boas, gloves or other accessories at the thrift store while you're there.)

• You can make your own food or order in from the local gourmet grocery store. Some of our favorite crowd-pleasers are crustless sandwiches (jelly and cream cheese is a favorite), petit-fours from the bakery, and a selection of flavored teas (hot or iced, depending on the weather and your guests).

• Then set the most beautiful table you can -- cloth napkins, place cards, fine flatware, flowers -- whatever strikes your fancy and adds to the elegance of the occasion.

It takes a lot of effort, but the end result is worth it -- a spectacular tea party for a spectacular group of guests. What more could anyone ask for?