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Putting the Thanks Back
Into Thanksgiving
By Nancy Twigg
Thanksgiving is all about…well, you know what it’s all
about. The question is how to make it more of that kind of
celebration for your family. One way to enrich your family’s
holiday is to incorporate meaningful activities into the
day. Here are some ideas that will help put the thankfulness
back into your family’s Thanksgiving.
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Combine holiday decorating with
expressions of thankfulness. Help the kids use
construction paper and craft supplies to make colored
leaves, pumpkins and other seasonal symbols. Then help
them write reasons why they feel thankful on each
cutout. Use these decorations to give the house a
festive look.
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Either before the feasting begins or
after the meal, go around the table and ask each family
member to finish this sentence; "This year I am most
thankful for..." To keep it simple for small children,
use the sentence starter, "I am thankful because..."
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Make the Thanksgiving meal educational
by letting the kids dress up as Pilgrims and Indians and
eating foods similar to the ones the Pilgrims and
Indians would have eaten. Children will learn a bit of
history as you help them research what kinds of clothes
were worn and what foods were eaten during that time
period.
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Invite someone to your family dinner who
cannot celebrate Thanksgiving with his or her own
family: an elderly person whose children live far away,
a college student who cannot afford to travel, or a
member of the armed services who is stationed far from
home.
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Sending Christmas cards is a common
family tradition. Why not send Thanksgiving cards as
well? Purchase blank greeting cards with a fall theme or
make your own. Inside write a note thanking the
recipient for something special she has done or the
positive impact she has had on your life.
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Use the Thanksgiving holiday to remember
those who regularly go without enough to eat. As a
family, decide to eat small meals the day before
Thanksgiving to remind yourselves how it feels to have
little to eat. Give the money that would have been spent
on the day’s regular meals to an organization that feeds
the hungry.
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Throughout the month of November, read
scriptures, poems or stories about thankfulness. As a
family, talk about what the passages mean and how you
can apply them to your lives.
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Help someone from a foreign country
experience a bit of American culture. Invite the person
and his family to celebrate Thanksgiving with your
family. Not only will your guests discover more about
this country, but your family will also get the
opportunity to interact with people from a different
culture.
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Express your thankfulness by sharing
your blessings with the less fortunate. As a family,
select a charity to support and devise a plan for how
you will give to that organization. For example, have a
family yard sale if temperatures permit and give a
portion of your profits to the Salvation Army. Another
idea if for all family members to save some of their
allowances each week during November. Then use this
money to buy groceries to donate to the local food bank.
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Create a "blessing jar" or "blessing
basket." Put the basket or jar along with a pencil and
pieces of paper in a central place in your home.
Throughout November, ask family members to write some of
their blessings on the pieces of paper and put them in
the container. Read these blessings aloud during your
Thanksgiving meal. At the end of the meal, say a prayer
of thanks for all the ways in which your family has been
blessed.
Nancy Twigg is the author of Celebrate Simply: Your Guide to
Simpler, More Meaningful Holidays and Special Occasions (www.celebratesimply.com).
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