Tri-Moms: The Real Meaning of Thanksgiving

This year Thanksgiving has crept up on me.  I guess it was partly the weather since it was still close to eighty degrees far into October.  Perhaps I was so overly absorbed with getting through the 31 Days of October that I forgot to remember that November was coming up next.  Or maybe it always happens this way, and just when I slow down from the summer, the busy-ness of the holidays arrives. 

Whatever the reason, it was November 4th before I realized that we hadn't begun our yearly tradition of sharing thankful thoughts around our dinner table.  Usually we are so anxious to start that we begin in October and no one wants it to end so we continue into December.  Last year added the challenge that no one could repeat what another person had said that same day and that you could not repeat your own things from day to day.  For example, if Gavin said he was thankful for sunshine, Maddie couldn't repeat that (though she could say that tomorrow) and Gavin couldn't say that any day for the rest of the month.  It was a way for all of us to look beyond the obvious and dig deep into what we were thankful for. 

It was well into the first week of November, too, before I dug out our Thanksgiving books.  I'll admit, as much as I love books, it is hard to find a Thanksgiving-themed book that grabs me.  When it comes to Christmas books, I could go on for paragraphs, but my Thanksgiving list is shorter. 



Our very, very favorite is Over the River and Through the Wood, a book my mom gifted us several years ago. My kids are huge Peanuts fans so they already recognized the song from the Thanksgiving special.  Even Alaine (14 months) has been able to  enjoy reading and re-reading this classic book-song this year. 








We also enjoy Thanksgiving: A Harvest Celebrationby Julie Stiegmeyer.  I like that it is a well-written story that shares a little of the Pilgrims' journey yet shares Who they were giving thanks to on that first Thanksgiving.  So many books leave out that important element!  




Most of our Thanksgiving reads come from the library.  Last year, we read Molly's Pilgrimby Barbara Cohen for the first time at Kathi's urging.  It was a wonderfully different look at Thanksgiving and not at all what I was expecting.  It is oh-so-short and worth a few minutes of reading time.  This year we also stumbled on the cute and (mostly) true tale of  Tad Lincoln in Thanksgiving in the White Houseby Gary Hines which was fascinating to me and the three oldest, but a few too many words for Benjamin and Alaine. Thanksgiving Mice!by Bethany Roberts was more their speed and, despite being written for toddlers and young children, has a surprising amount of message fitted between its pages. 

Could you help me add to our list?  Do you have any Thanksgiving book suggestions? 

It is too easy to get caught up in the superficial at Thanksgiving-- focusing on the scrumptious meal and the cute little turkey decorations and the parade...and did I mention the food?  (It is by far my most favorite meal of the year!)   It can take a bit of effort to slow down long enough to turn our eyes upwards and remember the Giver of all good things, but without Him, there would be nothing to celebrate at all.