Thanksgiving in Denver CO: Make It About Connection, Not Perfection
- Britt Ritchie
- Nov 4
- 9 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
You want Thanksgiving to feel grounding.
Joyful, connected, meaningful—not just another obligation.
But every year, it sneaks up fast.
And by the time the holiday arrives, you’re managing groceries, coordinating travel, navigating family dynamics, and wondering how you’re supposed to be grateful while running on fumes.
Sound familiar?
If you’re a woman who tends to carry the emotional and logistical weight of the season, Thanksgiving can feel more like pressure than presence. And in a city like Denver, with its high-achieving culture and hustle to “make the most” of every moment, that pressure can be even louder.
It doesn’t have to be this way. In this post, I’ll walk you through how to shift from performative Thanksgiving to purposeful Thanksgiving—especially if you live in or around Denver, Colorado. We’ll explore grounding rituals, connection-building activities, and gentle mindset shifts that help you reclaim the season in a way that reflects your values—not just the expectations around you.
Key Takeaways
Thanksgiving in Denver CO offers opportunities to slow down and connect—if we’re intentional about how we spend it.
Holiday stress hits women particularly hard; recognizing that helps you prepare with more compassion.
Connection—not perfection—is what makes the holiday meaningful. The best memories often come from simple, shared moments.
Small, value-based adjustments can help prevent burnout and make your Thanksgiving restorative.
Developing your own rituals and traditions can anchor your family in something more authentic and joyful.
Below, I’ll guide you through ways to prepare for, navigate, and recover from Thanksgiving in a way that actually fills your bucket.
Why Does Thanksgiving in Denver CO Leave So Many Women Drained?
Thanksgiving can feel less like a holiday and more like a second job for many women. Here’s why:
Emotional Labor and Family Dynamics
Women are often the emotional anchors of their families—the ones who plan, host, and quietly hold everything (and everyone) together.
That means managing family tensions, navigating old wounds, and making sure no one feels left out.
This invisible emotional work can be just as exhausting as cooking the meal itself.
Perfection Pressure
From picture-perfect tables to Instagram-worthy meals, women often feel pressure to create a flawless experience.
The result? Anxiety, over-planning, and disappointment when things don’t go as envisioned.
Trying to meet unrealistic expectations can make women feel like nothing they do is ever “enough.”
Caregiving Overload
Many women are already juggling caregiving—raising kids, supporting aging parents, managing households.
During Thanksgiving, they take on even more: shopping, prepping, cooking, cleaning.
Studies show women do significantly more of this work than men—and it adds up fast.
Societal and Internal Pressure to “Hold It All Together”
There’s often a sense that it’s a woman’s job to make the holiday feel magical.
That includes coordinating travel, keeping traditions alive, and making sure everyone is happy.
Even when help is offered, the mental load usually stays with her.
The Emotional Cost
All this effort can leave women feeling:
Drained or resentful
Anxious or on edge
Disconnected from the holiday they were trying to make meaningful
These stressors aren’t personal failings—they’re the result of deeply ingrained cultural expectations. And unless we name them, they tend to repeat year after year. But with awareness, we can begin to create more balanced, nourishing traditions.
What Was Thanksgiving Meant to Be—and What Is It Now?
Thanksgiving began as a shared harvest meal in 1621. It was a pause amid hardship—a moment to gather, reflect on survival, and give thanks for what endured. The food was simple, the company imperfect, and the purpose clear: community and gratitude in the face of uncertainty.
By the time President Lincoln made it a national holiday in 1863, Thanksgiving had become a cultural anchor—intended to bring people together during times of division and difficulty. At its core, it was meant to foster reflection, connection, and an appreciation for life’s essentials.
But today? Thanksgiving often looks very different.
For many, it’s shaped less by intention and more by performance:
Pinterest-perfect tablescapes and curated place settings
Cross-country travel coordination and jam-packed airports
Navigating family dynamics or avoiding unresolved conflict
The relentless pressure to do more, host better, cook flawlessly, keep smiling
Somewhere along the way, the original meaning got buried under layers of expectations.
Instead of slowing down and feeling grateful, many people spend the holiday trying to meet invisible standards. There’s little room for presence when your brain is managing five timelines, ten side dishes, and everyone’s emotional temperature.
And that disconnect? It’s not just frustrating—it’s deeply draining.
Thanksgiving is still an opportunity for connection, gratitude, and reflection—but only if we intentionally reclaim it. That begins with letting go of the pressure to impress and returning to what actually nourishes you.
What Happens When Your Holidays Aren’t Aligned With Your Values?
In my values-based psychiatry practice here in Denver, I see this disconnect all the time—especially around the holidays. Women who are thoughtful, capable, and outwardly thriving tell me they feel numb. Anxious. Drained. Not because they’re doing anything “wrong”—but because their lives, especially during high-stakes seasons like Thanksgiving, don’t reflect what they truly value.
Maybe you deeply value authenticity—but find yourself overextending, people-pleasing, or avoiding conflict just to keep the peace.
Maybe you value connection—but spend most of Thanksgiving cleaning up alone in the kitchen while everyone else relaxes.
Maybe you crave rest—but feel like you need to earn it first by doing everything perfectly.
When your holidays don’t reflect your core values, it can leave you feeling drained, disconnected, and unsure why it doesn’t feel good—especially when you’re doing so much.
How Can You Create a Values-Aligned Thanksgiving in Denver CO?
You don’t have to throw out the holiday to make it more meaningful.
You just have to reimagine it—on your own terms.
When you anchor Thanksgiving in your core values rather than social pressure, you create a celebration that restores you instead of depleting you. It becomes a space to reconnect—with yourself, your people, and what matters most.
Here’s how to shift from performance to presence:
1. Start With a “Why” Conversation
Instead of defaulting to tradition, pause and ask:
What do I want this day to actually feel like?
What would make it memorable for the right reasons?
What do my loved ones value most about being together?
You might be surprised at the answers. Often, it’s not the food or decor—it’s the mood, the laughter, the feeling of being seen. Let that clarity shape everything else.
2. Choose 1–2 Core Values to Guide the Day
Pick a few words that reflect the kind of experience you want to create. Try:
Connection
Simplicity
Presence
Creativity
Joy
Then ask: What would it look like to cook, host, or participate from that place?
This one small shift often reveals what’s worth keeping—and what’s okay to release.
3. Replace “Doing More” With “Doing With Meaning”
Denver offers a beautiful backdrop for a slower, more intentional Thanksgiving. You don’t have to say yes to every event or expectation. Try:
A morning gratitude hike at Red Rocks or Mount Falcon
Hosting a no-pressure, come-as-you-are potluck
A reflective post-dinner walk around Wash Park
Spending a day volunteering together at a local shelter or food pantry
Let the rhythm of the city—nature-forward, community-rich—support your shift.
4. Build Moments of Genuine Connection
Go beyond small talk by incorporating simple, intentional rituals that help people feel seen and connected:
Create a “Thankful Jar”: Set out slips of paper and invite guests to write something they’re grateful for. Read a few aloud during the meal.
Invite each person to share one thing that surprised them this year—big or small.
Ask older family members to describe what Thanksgiving was like when they were young—and what they hope future holidays look like.
Light a candle in honor of someone who can’t be there—whether they’ve passed or are far away.
Try a reflective group activity. Instead of a formal game, use simple prompts like:
“What’s one tradition you’d like to start next year?”
“What’s something you’re proud of this season?”
“Who showed up for you this year in an unexpected way?”
These grounded moments create the kind of connection that lingers long after the dishes are done.
5. Remember: Small Moments Create the Most Meaning
You don’t need grand gestures or a packed schedule to feel connected. Often, it’s the everyday pauses that make the holiday feel real:
Drinking coffee together before the house wakes up
Sharing a quick check-in with your partner while setting the table
Laughing over kitchen mishaps instead of stressing about perfection
These moments don’t take extra effort—they just take intention. Let them count.
What If Your Friends and Family Expect the Old Version of You?
This part can be tricky.
If you’ve always been the planner, the hostess, the one who makes it magical for everyone else… setting boundaries may feel uncomfortable.
But here’s the truth:
When you make room for your own needs, you give others permission to do the same. You model sustainable joy—not sacrificial performance.
Start with one honest conversation.
“I’m trying to create a calmer holiday this year. Would you be open to shifting a few traditions?”
“Can we simplify the meal so we have more time to actually connect?”
“This year, I’m focusing on rest during the holiday, but I’d love to set up a lunch or walk together the week after.”
Let your values lead—and let your nervous system exhale.
How Can You Recover If the Holiday Still Feels Hard?
Even with the best intentions, Thanksgiving in Denver CO can stir grief, overstimulation, or that quiet sense of disconnection you didn’t expect. Maybe the family tension never eased. Maybe you felt invisible after all that effort. Maybe the quiet felt heavier than you thought it would.
That doesn’t mean you did it wrong—it means you’re human.
Whether it was a little messy or deeply emotional, your post-holiday experience deserves care and reflection. Instead of jumping back into “normal life,” create space for a gentle reset with a
Thanksgiving Debrief.
Try asking yourself (or journaling, or talking it through with someone you trust):
What moments felt genuinely nourishing—where I felt connected, calm, or truly myself?
What parts of the day felt like I was “performing” instead of present?
Where did I override my own needs or boundaries to meet others’ expectations?
What do I want to do differently next year—no matter how small?
This isn’t about judgment. It’s about noticing. Because every insight becomes a breadcrumb you can follow toward next year feeling more aligned, more spacious, more like you.
You don’t need to wait for permission to protect your peace. Small changes now are what make bigger changes possible later.
Want to Go Deeper into Values-Based Living?
If this post resonated, you might enjoy my Living in Alignment blog series—created for women who are ready to stop going through the motions and start living from a place of purpose and clarity.
Each piece explores how aligning your life with your values can support better mental health, deeper fulfillment, and more ease—especially during busy seasons like the holidays.
Explore the full series:
How I Can Help
If you’re craving a different kind of holiday—a slower, more connected, less overwhelming one—I’d love to support you.
At Mind Alchemy Mental Health in Denver, Colorado, I offer holistic, integrative psychiatry designed for women who want real answers, not quick fixes.
As a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner specializing in female psychiatry and holistic women’s wellness, I take a root-cause, whole-person approach that looks beyond symptoms to uncover why you feel the way you do. Whether you’re struggling with focus, fatigue, mood swings, or that heavy sense of “something’s off,” we’ll work together to help you feel balanced and clear again.
My goal is to help you reconnect with yourself and rebuild from the inside out—through holistic psychiatric care that combines science, empathy, and genuine partnership.
Explore more:
The story behind my holistic approach to mental health
Visit my media hub for podcasts, Youtube videos and more related to holistic mental health treatment
If you could change one thing about your Thanksgiving this year, what would it be?
More connection
Less pressure
Simpler plans
A whole new tradition
I'd love to hear from you.
What’s one small shift you’ve made—or want to make—to create a more meaningful Thanksgiving?
Share your thoughts or family traditions in the comments below.
Your ideas might inspire someone else to try something new this year.
About the Author
Britt Ritchie, DNP, PMHNP-BC, is a doctorate-prepared psychiatric nurse practitioner and the founder of Mind Alchemy Mental Health, a boutique integrative psychiatry practice based in Denver, Colorado.
FAQs
What makes Thanksgiving in Denver CO feel stressful for so many women?
Thanksgiving in Denver CO can feel stressful because women often carry the emotional, mental, and logistical load of the holiday, leading to pressure, perfectionism, and burnout instead of connection.
How can I create a more meaningful Thanksgiving in Denver CO?
You can create a meaningful Thanksgiving in Denver CO by grounding the day in your core values, simplifying traditions, and focusing on presence, connection, and small shared moments rather than perfection.
What are simple Thanksgiving in Denver CO activities that build connection?
Simple Thanksgiving in Denver CO activities that build connection include gratitude walks, low-pressure potlucks, reflective table rituals, mindful conversations, and volunteering together in the community.
How can I handle family expectations during Thanksgiving in Denver CO?
You can handle family expectations during Thanksgiving in Denver CO by setting gentle boundaries, having honest conversations about simplifying the holiday, and prioritizing what supports your wellbeing rather than old roles or pressure.
What helps if Thanksgiving in Denver CO still feels overwhelming or emotional?
If Thanksgiving in Denver CO feels overwhelming, a post-holiday reflection, nervous system reset, or values-based debrief can help you process the experience and create a plan for a more aligned, nourishing holiday next year.
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