Thanksgiving Traditions

Some people in my neighborhood already have their Christmas decorations up. Not only am I not able to keep up that kind of pace, since college I have become a firm believer in giving Thanksgiving the time it deserves :)

Last year we started a family tradition I love for this holiday. Beginning November 1 Daryl reads a passage of Scripture that either discusses giving thanks explicity or gives us reasons to do so and we discuss it. We then each share something that we are thankful to God for (except Nadia although I think we can guess hers - the people she loves, puppies and food - not sure what order) and write it down on one of those white picture frame mats that are sold to be signed at parties, etc.

While last year we used a white tablecloth that we could write on, I prefer the mat that you sign on. I prefer this because our tablecloth got dirty (yuck) and it didn't go much with the rest of our fall decor :) I wasn't keen on the stark white tablecloth everyday anyways and didn't like feeling compelled to tuck it away when company come. This way, we can leave it on the easel and when we have company they can join in our tradition!

It's a really simple tradition to prepare for and fulfill, but is a great reminder of God's goodness to us and worthiness of thanks and also bonds us closer together as a family. The most time consuming part is selecting verses, so here are some of the ones we are using this month - James 1:17, Romans 6:22-23, Ephesians 2:8-10, 1 Peter 1:3-6, 1 Timothy 2:1-3, 1 Timothy 4:4, Colossians 2:6-7, Luke 17:11-19, Romans 1:18-23, Psalm 95:1-7, Psalm 106:1-3, Colossians 3:16-18, etc, etc.

Among my favorites Anna has added to the board are of course "mommy", "daddy", "arts and crafts" and "God is a cheerful giver." Hahaha!

Happy Thanksgiving to you!

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