10 Ways to Put the “Thanks” Back into Thanksgiving

6.  Use the Thanksgiving holiday to remember those who regularly go without enough to eat. As a family, decide to eat small meals the day before Thanksgiving to remind yourselves how it feels to have little to eat. Give the money that would have been spent on the day’s regular meals to an organization that feeds the hungry.

7. Read scriptures, poems or stories about thankfulness throughout the month of November. As a family, talk about what the passages mean and how you can apply them to your lives.

8.  Help someone from a foreign country experience a bit of American culture. Invite the person and his family to celebrate Thanksgiving with your family. Not only will your guests discover more about this country, but your family will also get the opportunity to interact with people from a different culture.

9.  Express your thankfulness by sharing your blessings with the less fortunate. As a family, select a charity to support and devise a plan for how you will give to that organization. For example, if weather permits, have a family yard sale and give a portion of your profits to the Salvation Army. Or have your children save some of their allowances each week during November. Then use this money to buy groceries to donate to the local food bank.

10.  Create a “blessing jar” or “blessing basket.” Put the basket or jar along with a pencil and pieces of paper in a central place in your home. Throughout November, ask family members to write some of their blessings on the pieces of paper and put them in the container. Read these blessings aloud during your Thanksgiving meal. At the end of the meal, say a prayer of thanks for all the ways in which your family has been blessed. (See Gratitude Bowl)

Nancy Twigg is the author of Celebrate Simply: Your Guide to Simpler, More Meaningful Holidays and Special Occasions. For more information, check out www.celebratesimply.com.