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Making the Most of Thanksgiving

by Jim Schmotzer11/19/2009 11:18:03 AM

Get some ideas for new Thanksgiving traditions in your family.

In 1863, the United States was in the depths of the struggle of the Civil War. Still, on October 3rd, President Abraham Lincoln issued a Thanksgiving Day Proclamation, establishing the holiday we still celebrate today. Thanksgiving provides a great opportunity to look beyond the pressures of daily life and to focus on the many blessings that we enjoy in this country.

For our family, Thanksgiving is more than a day and a meal. It is a long weekend that involves family, old friends, and new acquaintances. It is a time to celebrate and reflect; a time to enjoy and to give. I think my adult sons would say Thanksgiving was their favorite holiday when they were growing up. It’s still one that we all look forward to each year.

Following are some of the traditions and activities for Thanksgiving that we’ve experienced in the past, and some ideas for opportunities that we may include in the future.

Making the Meal Matter
Thanksgiving is often centered on preparing and eating a large, family dinner. There are many ways to enhance the meal experience for your children.

• Invite someone new. By including a family that is new to the area or someone that you have met in the preceding year, you can help others settle into their new life in town. Also, remember that Bellingham is a college town, which presents an opportunity to include students who are unable to travel home for the holiday.
• Start planning early and plant Thanksgiving meal produce, like pumpkins, Brussels sprouts, and sweet potatoes, in your garden.
• Try a new menu from another culture so your kids will have the opportunity to learn about how others might celebrate Thanksgiving around the world.
• Check with local service agencies and connect to those who might otherwise be alone on this special day.
• Let the kids help plan the menu, shop, prepare the meal, and set the table.
• Have a “compassion” meal, which consists of eating items that people who live in marginalized situations might have for their Thanksgiving dinner. You can also donate the amount of money or food you would have spent on a personal Thanksgiving meal to help feed those in need or find other ways to alleviate hunger.

Practice Thankfulness
Encourage your family to reflect upon and express individual thankfulness.

Gather the family together to write your own Thanksgiving Day Proclamation.

• Read President Lincoln’s Thanksgiving Day Proclamation out loud. Following the reading, you can work together to develop your own family proclamation to save and read in future years.
• Ask each family member to make a list of things they are thankful for and then post the lists on a wall for all to appreciate. Another idea is to place a white board in a central area so family and friends can write things that they are thankful for throughout the weekend.
• Have each family member select someone they appreciate in their life and write a note of thanks to hand deliver on the day, or mail it to arrive near Thanksgiving Day.
• If you share spirituality with your kids, attend a religious service. Some churches have special services on Wednesday evening or Thanksgiving Day morning. Several congregations work together, gathering at joint services, and take a collection to support local programs that aid the needy.

Let Thankfulness Guide Action
Thanksgiving provides a wonderful opportunity for children to see convictions turned into action. The tangible aspect of practical actions can result in added memory impact.

• Make a meal for others. Deliver a meal to a “shut-in” or pass out food in a local park.
• Volunteer to help with preparation and serving at one to the local agencies that hosts a special meal for those in need. Helping at the Lighthouse Mission meal has often been a highlight of our Thanksgiving weekend activities.
• Mark dates throughout the next year’s calendar so your family will remember to be thankful throughout 2010. Try to volunteer at a soup kitchen during spring break or donate to a food bank during the summer.

Thanksgiving abounds with opportunities to express and experience thankfulness. This celebration and its related activities can become a source of learning and family bonding that can extend generations into the future.

A Note About the Author: Jim Schmotzer

Jim Schmotzer has been educating kids, adults, and college students for over 20 years. His hobbies include running, reading, and writing fiction as The Faithful Skeptic. Jim and his wife Connie have two grown sons and four grandkids.