We've been thinking about Thanksgiving traditions around here lately. Every year Thanksgiving seems to get "lost" amongst Halloween and Christmas, but Ken and I both really like the idea of a season of thankfulness. Every year we've been checking Target for some kind of Thanksgiving decoration to make part of our tradition and they never have anything--it's been frustrating. So this year when I saw this amber glass turkey in the Williams-Sonoma catalog we decided to get it. Now, hopefully at some level, Dieter and Rainer will have a memory of "every year my mom got out that glass turkey." I don't know, I just like that sort of thing. Right now it has candy corn in it which is super special because we don't usually keep candy around.
We also saw this "Countdown Calendar" in the Pottery Barn Kids catalog the other day. Apparently you write down what you are thankful for on little cards and put them in the pockets each day. Cute, huh? Very expensive though--we won't be getting this one, but I like it.
I don't just want decorations, though. I want to emphasize the spirit of gratefulness with myself and with the children. We do have so much to be grateful for! And Christmas has become pretty materialistic and there are so many expectations around it and so much let down after the actual day. I hate all that. Thanksgiving is pure. Last night I was getting ready to do this post and I came across this idea for a thankfulness tree. It rocks! I would definitely like to do something like that--basically you have a lovely branch and cut out colored "leaves" from paper. Then you can write what you are thankful for and attach them to the tree.
And the food? I do like Thanksgiving food. It's stressful getting a big meal together (last year was the first year we did it here) and we honestly do not have the space for a large group. I'm no seasoned hostess, but I am so grateful for the opportunity. Each year I'll get a little better, I hope. And the thought of pie just sweetens the deal. Do you have any Thanksgiving traditions you love?
5 comments:
We put out a felt Turkey that Anna made several years ago and take it with us when we travel. Yes, my children are 16 and 22 but forgetting the turkey remains as tragic an event as if they were 3 and 8. I also still make the kids (and anyone else who might be around) draw a picture of what they are thankful for. They are usually pictures of stick people and earth. And then I let them make their Santa list.
When I was little my mom made up a bunch of Trivial Pursuit-like cards with questions about our own family, things like, "What pets did our family have when David was born?" and "Why did Sarah have to leave her fifth birthday party to go to the emergency room?" We used the real T.P. board and played the game with our questions. Every year my mom adds a bunch of new questions from the past year, and we always play it on Thanksgiving.
Ooo, that PB thingie give me an idea for the advent calendar I've been wanting. Love the glass turkey.
We take a walk on Thanksgiving to get our legs stretched and our appetites primed. On these walks we collect treasures from our woods to decorate our table. Everyone participates and stories of each treasure are shared while enjoying our meal.
I'm so looking forward to Thanksgiving!
Oh man, that calendar brings back the nightmare of making my own version of their Halloween Advent calendar. LOL
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