Sharing Our Thanksgiving Traditions

I recently approached the part-time staff and volunteers of Just Moved! to glean their best ideas for the Thanksgiving celebration. (Alas, JoAnn was missing as she recuperated from recently representing the ministry in Virginia!) They’re such a creative lot and I came away determined to try some these great ideas this Thanksgiving!

Keri, our Administrative Support, has only lived in Arizona for a year and is still adjusting her family traditions to the desert. She and her family enjoy playing Monopoly or Risk on Thanksgiving day. They might start it before the meal and continue after the last fork has been washed, but they gravitate to the games that take a long time to produce a winner.

Jayne, a hard-working volunteer and Board member, shared several ideas. She has carried on the tradition begun by her dad of dancing with the raw turkey! That’s right, I said dancing. She says it always gets a big reaction from anyone watching and I assume she washes up real well when the music stops. At the dinner table each person has a candle by his/her plate. Each lights the candle to his/her right and says what he/she is thankful for about that person. Another tradition is the singing of 'God Bless America'.

Ann, (that’s me) the Public Relations Liaison. I grew up taking a walk with the family on Thanksgiving day and I continue the tradition with my own family. My mom always layered the left over turkey, mashed potatoes, and dressing in a casserole.

Sharon, in charge of Regional Support and Volunteers, prepares the traditional meal, but adds one new dish. She also makes a phone call to missing family members and puts the call on speaker phone so all can join in the conversation. She and her family also take a walk after kitchen clean up.

Susan, our leader in this journey of faith, uses a paper table cloth for the kids’ table and provides markers and crayons. Each child is asked to write or draw what he or she is thankful for. An alternative to the tablecloth is for each child to cut out a placemat in the shape of a leaf or pumpkin and draw or write on it. Another great idea is to have a Thanksgiving Journal. Each year the journal is passed around on Thanksgiving day for a chance to write down a prayer of thanks. What a wonderful record over the years!

Joan, Office Administrator, takes two days to make her grandmother’s special corn bread dressing. It’s a labor of love!

Janae, our graphic designer, cooks and carves the turkey and prepares the mashed potatoes the day before. On Thanksgiving morning, the covered dishes are reheated in a 250 degree oven for 3 hours. A hot meal with little preparation mess. A gift of time to her family that allows her to play cards and go hiking with them.

Everybody, it seemed, incorporated the tradition of placing five kernels of corn at each place setting at the Thanksgiving table. These kernels represent the ration of food for the pilgrims during a difficult winter. When food was more plentiful, the pilgrims are said to have placed five kernels of corn by each plate during times of celebration to remind them of God’s provision. At your table, have each person name five things that he or she is thankful for. If they write them down, you will be able to enjoy looking back over them in years to come.