I've been working ever since at compiling my own list of activities. I still feel it important to define "Thanksgiving" as a season of celebration and not just a two hour meeting for stuffing belllies and entering food comas. The following is what I've come up with for us this year. Likely, it will change next year and that excites me because we should always be discovering new ways to be thankful.
1) I stumbled across this pattern for a calendar at Everyday Celebrations. I plan to make a few changes though. I would like one which would be year-round so that I can also fill the pockets with ways to appreciate other seasons or holidays. So, the colors will be those in my home's color scheme and the title will be changed to say, "Enjoy the Moments." Having the pattern as a base will make it much simpler to create and personalize!
2) I wanted my list to focus on three areas:
Express Thanks=
10 Express Giving=10 Come Together=10
1. Express thanks
for good neighbors. Invite a neighbor to tea/coffee/dinner. If you don’t know
your neighbor, then introduce yourself (be sure to include your gratitude for
them!)
2. Make Java Chip Pumpkin bread* loaves and share a loaf with someone who is usually under appreciated.
*Java Chip Pumpkin Bread= 1 box quick pumpkin bread + chocolate chips + replace
water with coffee.
3. Discuss how you
can serve a family or person specifically over the holidays2. Make Java Chip Pumpkin bread* loaves and share a loaf with someone who is usually under appreciated.
*Java Chip Pumpkin Bread= 1 box quick pumpkin bread + chocolate chips + replace
water with coffee.
4. Express
thanks for relationships (friends/family) so close that the distance doesn’t
even seem present. Call, write, or contact them in any way to express gratitude
for them and your relationship. It could be a character quality, something that
was done, favorite memory, or the impact they’ve had one you.
5. Create a Blessing Bag to keep in your car and offer to homeless individuals you encounter.
6. Have a family game night. Before each turn name a blessing.
7. Express
thanks to a veteran for their courage and sacrifice. Write a letter** to someone currently
serving. Greet and talk with someone you see while out today.
** Day 7: Letter to Soldiers- multiple sites to allow participation. Letters to Soldiers, & Soldiers Angels are two that I found just by doing a quick Google search.
8. Leave a
cashier with a bit of a payment towards the next person. (You will need to
place a rubberband or clip around it with a note or something designating it as
such. Don’t want to get the cashier in trouble for having money lying around
out of the drawer!)
9. Enjoy the beautiful fall foliage during a family walk/hike.
10. Express thanks to the Lord for the day. Some days just seem like they shouldn’t have even been attempted. Nonetheless, each and every day is a gift. Write Psalm 118:24 on a notecard and place by your alarm clock for when you rise. Then, stick it in your pocket or somewhere visible to be reminded of it throughout the day.
11. Leave a generous tip. Next time you’re at a restaurant leave a generous tip with a compliment on the receipt. If there is a tip jar, then leave a little more than just your change.
12. Munch on popcorn while enjoy a movie together (Charlie Brown holiday films!)
13. Express thanks for the quiet times. Rise early and put some coffee or tea to brew. Spend extra moment with the Lord and in thought of ways to live out your gratitude during the day.
14. Offer a
listening ear and shoulder to cry on. So often poor attitudes cause poor
support systems (ie friendships!). Call or meet up with a friend to simply
listen.
15. Use Thanksgiving Box Of Questions
during
dinnertime. (I haven't personally used these, but I love conversation cards!).
16. Express
thanks for the good in life. Critical and negative perspectives are nearly
impossible to escape. Have you become a perpetuator? Determine today to examine
your words and heart to only allow that which is follows Philippians 4:8 to
permeate your environment.
17. Grocery
shop specifically with the intention of donating the entire bag. (Many grocery
stores offer donation boxes or packages for purchase).
18. Review the
story of the first Thanksgiving. Why did they want to observe a time of thanks?
What is the significance of the holiday today?
19. Express
thanks for your husband. When did we begin to see him with a critical
(disrespectful) eye more than a grace giving (loving) eye? Challenge yourself
today to not only speak well of him, but to think such as well! Praise him!
Believe in him! Respect him!
20. Delight a
child by taping change to a vending machine (bouncing balls, gum balls etc)
21. Capture with
your camera the various things throughout the day you’re thankful for.
22. Express
thanks to God for his provision. Stress can easily mound when it appears that
there is more going out financially than coming in. Yet, when all is said and
done there was somehow enough. Do we have shelter? Clothing? Food? Support from
others? Our notion of provision and the Lord’s may look different, but one
thing that is certain is that He is faithful in His promise to provide for us.
Trust Him to do so. Thank Him for already doing so.
23. Graciously relieve
someone of one of their responsibilities.
24. Revisit the family photo album and travel back
to previous Thanksgiving celebrations. What was your favorite memory of those
times?
25. Express thanks for all those that God places in our paths. Some individuals and experiences will build us up, while others will refine us. Remember Romans8:28. Choose to recognize the good that came from our interactions and experiences. Make an effort to be kind today, even when someone we encounter appear to be “tearing us down.”
26. Visit with
someone who may be lonely. The best way to combat a feeling of loneliness in
ourselves is to remove that feeling from someone else. Nursing homes and
hospitals are a great place to start. Don’t stop there though. Think outside
the box. Is there anyone that lives alone? Spends evenings alone (spouse works
night shift)? New to the area? Etc etc.
Day 28.
Express thanks for God creating you to be..you.
We are his workmanship. He carefully crafted us into being. What we perceive as
flaws may be a part of God’s special design for us. Remember that He created us to be as we are in order
to fulfill His purposes for our lives, not our own. It’s easy to compare
ourselves to others and see shortcomings. Snap a photo of yourself and on the
back of the printed picture write ways in which God sees you.
Day 29. Spending time with family often times requires a road trip. Make the stress of traveling a little lighter by obtaining a
gift card for gas. Next time you’re at the pump, tape the card with a little
note to it. (I would say hand the card to someone nearby, but I have a hard time imagining people accepting a gift nowadays).
Random Acts of Kindness - Page with numerous ideas for simple acts of kindness.
Homeword 30 Days of Thanksgiving - Page with great ideas for areas of thankfulness.
Give Thanks Countdown Cards- Cards to accompany calendar pattern from Everyday Celebrations
Positively Present's 30 Photo Challenge on Gratitude- 30 days of capturing in film areas of gratitude.
I hope to create a similar list with the same three areas of focus for the Christmas season (and likely subsequent seasons as well). I'll try to get a photo when I can get the calendar and cards completed.
As for now, I pray that it will encourage you to determine in what ways you would like to focus this holiday season. This list is what is fitting for our family. I encourage you to take some time to think through creating a list to make it yours :)
Linked up at: Don't Waste Your Homemaking, Growing Home, Far Above Rubies, Women Living Well, Raising Homemakers, Raising Mighty Arrows, Our Simple Country Life, Maxabella Loves, The Gypsy Mama, Time Warp Wife
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