"Thanksgiving is the holiday of peace, the celebration of work and the simple life… a true folk-festival that speaks the poetry of the turn of the seasons, the beauty of seedtime and harvest, the ripe product of the year—and the deep, deep connection of all these things with God." — Ray Stannard Baker (David Grayson)
Last week, I encouraged you to count your blessings and show gratitude. I hope you spent some time thinking about that. Thanksgiving is on Thursday!!! I started thinking about different traditions. In this blog, I will share some old and new traditions. The old traditions were easy for me to think about. I had to ask ChatGPT what the new ones were, and I was surprised at how much I did not know!
Let’s examine some of our old traditions. Most of these are still observed today, and I call them old because they have existed for a long time.
· Traditional Thanksgiving dinner – for my family that included turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and gravy, cranberries, rolls, and olives for me because that was one of my favorite sides,
· Taking time to give thanks
· Football – My dad loved watching football – thinking about that brings back good memories.
· Rose Parade
· Breaking the wishbone
· Volunteering – In a soup kitchen or at the Veterans Memorial, where those who couldn’t afford a turkey dinner came to eat.
The newer traditions seem to spread throughout the season. Maybe you participated in these in the “old days,” I only addressed Thanksgiving Day traditions. Today’s world is much more diverse, and people do things differently.
· Friendsgiving – a time of celebration with friends. We do this in our singles group at church. The week before Thanksgiving, the singles group provides the turkey and main dishes, and we bring any sides or desserts. This is our Friendsgiving.
· Thanksgiving Hikes or Walks – A beautiful time to be outside enjoying God’s creation – You can’t help but give thanks.
· “Turkey trots” – do a 5k or charity walk themed around Thanksgiving
· Cultural Fusion Meals – Incorporates dishes from different cultures to reflect diverse family backgrounds.
· Cooking New Recipes – sometimes, it turns out to be a cooking competition
· Movie or Game Night – Watch a movie like Planes, Trains, and Automobiles or play a board game.
· Black Friday Planning
· Sharing Family Stories
· Tree Decorating – some families put their Christmas trees up on Thanksgiving evening.
· Virtual Celebrations – using a platform like Zoom to communicate with families who are far away or unable to attend the celebration.
· Thanksgiving Karaoke
I know this blog is a little late, but you could incorporate some of the new traditions into the week of Thanksgiving. – Let me know your traditions and what you want to try this week.
Have a VERY HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!
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