Kingdom Ready Blog

Thanksgiving. It’s a holiday about family, food and football. Or so most kids think. And sadly, many grown-ups, too!

Recently, as a carpool mom, one little boy sat in my car and mentioned how BORING the teaching on Thanksgiving was at school. “They teach the same thing, every year!” he lamented. “They teach about Squanto and the Pilgrims. And all the Indians had to do was to bring the deer, but the Pilgrims had to cook for days ahead of the feast!” I had to chuckle, because some Thanksgiving holidays, that’s all it seems to be to me, too. As wife and mother, I labor for hours in the kitchen the day of Thanksgiving, and often days before it, preparing a feast of delectable foods, while my husband watches football and the kids play and complain boisterously, “Do we HAVE to eat DRESSING this year?!” And I retort back, “Yes! It’s not Thanksgiving without dressing!”

So, every year, as a mom, and even for myself, I want to add some meaning into this holiday that has been nicknamed “Turkey Day” and bring back the meaning that will enrich this special day into our family’s life, to inspire a habit that should be a daily discipline, not just a one-time event. Should we not have an attitude of gratitude year round?

Below are just a few ideas of how to bring meaning back into our Thanksgiving holiday and I encourage you to comment & leave your own ideas and your own family’s traditions below.

1. Every week, leading up to Thanksgiving, memorize a Scripture with your kids that has to do with being thankful. Here are some suggestions:
   a.) Colossians 3:15 – Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.
   b.) 1Chronicles 16:8 – Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done.
   c.) Colossians 4:2 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.
   d.) Hebrews 12:28 – Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe.
   e.) 1Chronicles 16:34 – Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.

2. Invest in research or a good book about the traditional first Thanksgiving of the Pilgrims and read the story to your kids. Focus not on their feast (which is where most public schools concentrate), but that the Pilgrims set aside a special day to give thanks to Almighty God and “acknowledge their utter dependence upon Him for their existence. The Pilgrims relied upon God in their lack and thanked Him in their abundance. Their trust was in God, and not in their abundant provisions.” (American’s Providential History, by Mark A. Beliles & Stephen K. McDowell.)

3. Before you eat, read Lincoln’s Proclamation made in October, 1863 which established this as a national holiday, found here.
4. Have a special Thanksgiving Eve Meal. Make it a tradition. Some choose to eat just rice, or something light and bland, to remind them of the Pilgrims lack and hardship. Some families choose to fast.
5. Thanksgiving Jar. Our family has used a “Thanksgiving Gift Bag” where I will have pre-cut slips of paper, to encourage the kids to write down their blessings, the month (or even throughout the year) leading up to Thanksgiving. On that day, we take all the slips out and read them aloud, talking about who wrote what, and why. It’s a great way to remember what you’re thankful for and to keep a thankful attitude every day, not just Thanksgiving.
6. Thanksgiving journal. Same concept as a jar, but in a nice journal that you can keep every year; add pictures, and keepsakes, to remind you of all the blessings in your life. Or add a new dimension to it, and have a special Thanksgiving video tape. Every year, pull the same tape out and add each family member as they count their blessings for the year.
7. Make it a practice to invite someone to your home for dinner who would otherwise be alone.
8. Make a trip to your local pantry or soup kitchen or shelter, and volunteer or make donations. There are many families right now, whom you would never suspect, who are struggling to buy groceries.
9. Have your kids color and craft Thank You notes to family, teachers, neighbors, friends, to express how much they appreciate having them in your life.
10. Teach your kids the value of being thankful, even in the midst of circumstances that are not so great. I Thessalonians 5:18 “in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” Just like the Pilgrims, times might be tough, but we know God is with us and will provide.