With all the inevitable hoopla over gift-giving during the holidays (that sadly starts its commercial build right after Halloween), Thanksgiving sometimes gets a little overlooked.
What’s unfortunate about its second-class status is that the message behind Thanksgiving is so fundamentally universal; regardless of your religion, cultural background or country of origin, Thanksgiving is about being grateful for the beauty and abundance already present in our everyday lives. It is a day that can be embraced by everyone and should be celebrated with equal abandon, but too often Thanksgiving is seen as a merely a gateway to the holiday season instead of being recognized for its own beautiful message.
So this year, in defiance of Christmas lists that are already being generated, I thought it might be a nice change for my kids to do a little pre-holiday-fervor detox and spend a few moments each day focused on the message behind Thanksgiving. And although a few moments on their own might not seem like a lot, when strung together day after day, much like pearls on a string, all those singular moments come together to deliver an impact of much greater magnitude.
Introducing the Thanksgiving Countdown Calendar.
Much like an Advent calendar and its sweet countdown to Christmas, A Thanksgiving Countdown Calendar brings together the elements of fall, family and fun and wraps them all up in a blanket of gratitude that reminds kids, in gentle and even silly ways, to be grateful for all that they already have.
Plus, the simple questions and tasks within the Calendar encourage giving – not of the material sort, but of ideas, thoughts, feelings and unrestricted imaginations. In less than a minute a day you can encourage and build upon the fundamentals of love and gratitude that we so dearly want our children to embrace.
Creating the calendar is easy. You will need a large sheet of paper or poster board, and (for this year) 23 smaller squares (2” x 2” or so) of paper. Work with your kids to decorate each square in a fall-themed design, and then tape the papers to the board on three sides, so the top is open, pocket style. At the bottom of the board, write out “Happy Thanksgiving” and design as you and your children see fit.
In each daily pocket, you’re going to put a little note. You can type them all out on the computer, print and cut apart if you want to save time, or you can hand write them all.
I’ve put together a list to get you started; you can use these, modify, add your own – whatever works for you! Just remember to keep each task easy, positive and fun!
- Go outside and find 5 leaves in different colors. Tape to paper and hang on the fridge.
- Name 3 things that you love about trees
- Group Hug!
- Something I like about my sister/brother/pet/grandma/grandpa is…
- Something mom and dad love about me is…
- Write a letter/draw a picture/make a card and send it to someone just to say I Love You!
- What makes you feel warm and happy when you think about it?
- Draw a picture of what Happy looks like
- What is a food you love to eat?
- Who is a friend you are glad you get to play with?
- Name three toys that you love to play with
- Describe what you love about your home in 3 words
- What color is Happy? Excited? a Hug? Act each one out
- Make a list of 10 things you love
- What do you love about dad/mom/aunt uncle etc? Then go out side and find a treasure to give to him/her.
- Go and hug three things you love
- Play a silly word game where one of you says a word and the other builds on it until you have a silly sentence
- Think of 5 people and name one thing you like about each of them
- Name 5 things that are beautiful
- Look outside and find three colorful things
- I love it when mom does…
- I love it when dad does….
- Do the “yay” dance (clap your hands and jump up and down shouting “yay for mommy…Yay for <insert sibling, pets or other names here>!”)
Each day, open a note with your children. The exercises will only take a few moments, but by the time Thanksgiving rolls around, your family will have built a beautiful necklace of positive, inspiring memories that will serve as your talisman as you navigate the the hectic holiday month to come.
