The Thanksgiving holiday takes place next week in the United States.
I’ve written about being thankful and the Thanksgiving holiday often.
Here’s a roundup and some additional thoughts for 2024.
The Thanksgiving Holiday
My family splits Thanksgiving and Christmas each year with the in-laws.
We’ve been doing this for many years and are grateful to our in-laws, who have accepted the idea.
We get our children, daughters-in-law, and grandchildren this year for Thanksgiving.
The in-laws get their daughters, our sons, and our grandchildren for Christmas.
Next year, we’ll swap. Our family will go to our daughters-in-law’s parents’ home, and we’ll find somewhere else to go.
Fortunately, my extended family always invites us, so we always have a place to go.
Long ago, when my husband went to sea over the holidays, the children and I had nowhere to go.
I told the pastor, and he made our needs known at church.
Three families invited us.
The children and I didn’t feel so lonely that year, and we had a wonderful time.
Thanksgiving traditions
We’ve celebrated the Thanksgiving holiday in unique ways over the years.
One year, we took our dinner to Moloka’i on an airplane, including the turkey and fixing, and ate our dinner on the beach.
Our vegetarian relatives came one year. What to cook?
We’ve often joined my extended family and shared genealogy stories.
One memorable genealogy-focused Thanksgiving, we wore nametags noting our spot on the wall chart.
We had several new family members that year, and they could look at our name tags, refer to the chart, and then figure out how we were related to each other!
(We have a fiancee coming this year. I’ve already sent her a family chart!)
Here’s a link to free family tree templates.
Thanksgiving Holiday Ideas Activities–that don’t involve football
Consider taking a family tree to your gathering. You’ll have better success–and more conversation–if you ask your relatives to bring what they’ve got.
Beg your family to bring old photos–and then scan them all!
(If you don’t have a portable scanner, take photos with your phone. You will never regret it!)
Here’s another genealogy-related post with suggested questions to prompt stories.
Ideas of things to do for all ages.
One year, I brought an empty picture frame to dinner and took pictures of all my family members, individually or in silly groups, framing themselves. We had a lot of fun.
You never know what can happen when you choose to be thankful and act on “bringing together” the people you love.
At every opportunity, give thanks.
While the Thanksgiving holiday is a good reminder to be thankful, the Bible reminds us, “In everything give thanks for such is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18; NKJV)
Aside from a hearty meal in November (in the US), being thankful is a habit to cultivate year-round.
I work hard to find reasons to be thankful.
Maybe it’s my hands? It could be something silly like Cary Grant movies.
I learned this lesson from my UCLA band director, Kelly James!
I’ve written blog posts about authors I’m thankful for: Laura Ingalls Wilder, the Massie family, Edith Schaeffer, and Elisabeth Elliot.
Years ago, God impressed upon me that many people never get thanked for doing their jobs. I now make a point to thank the people who help me–no matter how small.
You’d be surprised how seldom people hear a genuine “thank you.”
Thanks for reading!
If you’re American, enjoy your Thanksgiving holiday. If you’re Canadian, I hope you had a lovely time last month.
And for the rest of the world, I wish you blessings every day.
As always, thanks be to God.
Thoughts? Reactions? Lurker?