Thanksgiving Is a Great Time for Creating Lasting Memories

Memories from my childhood grow dimmer as I grow older, but the ones that still stand out vividly are usually those from family gatherings associated with Thanksgiving, Christmas, and birthdays.

Thanksgiving, ads on TV, radio, and newspapers constantly remind us, is just around the corner, and, from the way time has been flying lately, I think they are right.

Because we were poor, Thanksgiving, seemed to be even greater than Christmas to me and my two sisters since it was the one time of year that there seemed to be plenty of food.  Not only food for the Thanksgiving meal, but for the yummy leftovers that lasted several days after the holiday was over.
(I'm pretty sure relatives who were financially better off than we were deliberately brought far more food than necessary so that we would have those leftovers.)

It wasn't just the food though that was memorable about our Thanksgiving celebrations.  It was a little bit of everything connected with the holiday:  the decorations that only came out once a year, candy and cookies on the hall table so we could have a snack to tide us over until the meal was finally ready, seeing family members we hadn't seen for a long time, hearing each person gathered around the table share what they were most thankful for before we actually got down to the business of eating, taking a walk together after the meal, playing board games with the cousins while the parents, aunts, and uncles visited or listened to a ball game on the radio, and finally standing on the porch late that evening waving goodbye to family members we might not see again for a whole year.

Does your family have some traditions that have continued over the years?  If not, why not start some this year.  There is almost a month left to plan, so you have time to make sure that you include things that your kids will remember someday when they look back on their childhood and perhaps decide to add them to the homes they are creating for their own children.



THANKSGIVING DVDs:


         


KID'S STORIES ABOUT THANKSGIVING:

         

FOR  THE WOMAN OF THE HOUSE: