Instead of hosting Thanksgiving, I took my family to an all-inclusive resort in Mexico. It's become our new favorite tradition.

"I grew up in a traditional Puerto Rican family, where Thanksgiving is spent at home with family and friends, eating an obscene amount of traditional food like pasteles and pernil. So, when I told everyone I wanted to spend Thanksgiving at an all-inclusive resort in Mexico, it blew their minds. However, I had no clue this was the beginning of a new family tradition."

"The decision wasn't easy. We knew not everyone would be able to join us, and we wouldn't be able to enjoy some of our favorite holiday dishes, which we look forward to each year. But the promise of lazy days sipping margaritas on the beach, all-you-can-eat food, and not having to lift a finger was too good to pass up."

"Once everyone was convinced, tickets were booked, bags were packed, and we all arrived safely (and on time) at a resort in Riviera Maya the day before Thanksgiving. There were 16 of us, ranging in age from my 7-year-old niece to my 70-year-old uncle. We spent the day sipping cold drinks by the pool, napping after early flights, and talking excitedly about our plans for the next day."

A suggestion to skip the usual home-cooked Thanksgiving and vacation in Mexico surprised a traditional Puerto Rican family but solved the exhaustion of preparing large holiday meals. The family weighed the trade-offs of missing favorite dishes and the reality that not everyone could attend. Once most relatives agreed, sixteen family members, ages seven to seventy, traveled to a Riviera Maya resort the day before Thanksgiving. The group relaxed by the pool, napped after flights, sipped margaritas, played beach games, and enjoyed resort meals, embracing the ease and new shared experiences of the trip.

Read at Business Insider