Don’t Just Eat Your Way Through Thanksgiving, Practice These 5 Things Instead

Americans are really good at sucking the true meaning out of holidays. We turn Memorial Day into an excuse to consume alcohol, Christmas into a months-long spending spree, and Thanksgiving into “Turkey Day.” There’s nothing wrong with enjoying the various festivities associated with special days on the calendar, but sometimes it’s good to ask, Charlie Brown style, what it’s all about. If you have lost sight of the true meaning of Thanksgiving — and even if you haven’t — here are five ways to regain and keep the proper focus.  

Remember the Pilgrims

If you are a recent graduate of America’s public schools, you may never have been taught about the first Thanksgiving. The best account comes from William Bradford himself in his eyewitness history, “Of Plymouth Plantation.” Bradford was the long-serving governor of the Plymouth colony, and his book is the source of most of our treasured stories about the Pilgrims, Massasoit, Squanto, Myles Standish, the Mayflower Compact, and all the rest. 

If you have never read it, I recommend a version such as this one that maintains Bradford’s original language while using updated spelling for easier reading. But if you don’t have time to get through Bradford’s full history, at least take a few moments on Thanksgiving Day to read a summary. If you have children (and even if you don’t), this is a lovely picture book version. Better yet, assign the kids to research and narrate or act out the story themselves, Brady Bunch style (they will really learn it this way). Whatever you do, don’t carve your Thanksgiving turkey without taking a few moments to reflect on why you are having one.

Practice Thankfulness

Find ways, in the run-up to Thanksgiving, to remind yourself to be thankful. One possibility is to embark on a conscious regimen of prayer, journaling, Bible reading, or acts of service during the month of November. Another is to spend time on Thanksgiving Day actually thinking about your blessings. My husband and I have long had the tradition, before Thanksgiving dinner, of going around the table and asking everyone, from the youngest to the oldest, to name at least one thing for which they’re thankful. (Pro tip: Do this before you serve the meal, so the food doesn’t get cold!) 

If you are having a large gathering with multiple tables, you might suggest that each table share their answers among themselves (appoint a leader to facilitate). Alternatively, as your guests arrive and enjoy the pre-meal conversation, have them write one of their blessings on a small, decorative piece of paper (perhaps the kids can prepare Thanksgiving-themed cutouts for this in advance). Then, during the meal, the host can pull the pieces of paper out of a basket and read them out loud. 

Invite the Stranger

By “stranger,” I don’t mean a literal stranger but someone in your circle that you would not normally socialize with: a coworker, neighbor, acquaintance from church, or even the nice lady who checks you out every week

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