Here is a great post on November traditions written by my dear friend Christina. I just love these ideas below. Thanks Christina!
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November Traditions
November is a month for cooler weather, great food, family, and giving thanks. It’s one of my favorite months, but it goes by too quickly. I want to celebrate Thanksgiving all month, instead of rushing into my Christmas “to do” list and shopping. To slow things down, here are some ideas we’ve incorporated into our family’s November:
Countdown Calendar: We have a Thanksgiving calendar (ours in the picture is from Pottery Barn, but you can easily make your own with some felt, applique and hot glue or iron on numbers). Each day during the month we complete this sentence, “I am thankful for….” on a piece of paper and and slip it into the pocket for that day.
Praying for Others: Last year we started a prayer calendar for November. I listed names of an extended family member, friend or missionary each day and put them in the calendar pockets. We pulled out the prayer request as we put our “thanks paper” in it. We will do this again in December, putting the names in the pockets of our Advent calendar. By the way, we do forget and skip some days, so we just catch up later when we do remember!
Clean that Pantry: This is a great time to re-organize your pantry, make a list of needed baking supplies for the holidays and give away those extra items! I look for Thanksgiving grocery sales to stock up on items to give away. Second Harvest Food Bank and other food banks are in dire need of staples this year because of the economic downturn.
Goodbye, Toys: November is a great month to clean out all of the toys and give some away. I know a friend, Heather, recently did this with her son Ethan, and he chose to give his extra toys to El Shaddai Christian church. I know their family received such a blessing from this experience.
Read Books: Check out books at the library or buy a book about Thanksgiving. One of my son’s favorites is “My Book of Thanks” by B.G. Hennessy. It’s a great time to talk about why the Pilgrims came to America and explain our freedom to worship our God in this country.
Invite Guests: Is there anyone you need to invite for Thanksgiving dinner? Now is the time to invite those extra guests- neighbors, friends, church members who might not have anywhere else to go. Don’t wait until the last minute- sometimes you have to spread the word in order to find out who might be alone that day.
Saying thanks at the table: My mom has a “corny” tradition. As we sit down to Thanksgiving dinner, we each take 2-3 kernels of corn from a basket and use them as a visual aid to recount our greatest blessings over the previous year. By sharing with everyone at the table what we are thankful for, it gets us all in the thankful spirit.
Thanksgiving Tree: My husband’s Aunt Roxane has a “Thanks”giving tree every year when we come over for our meal. As we arrive, everyone is given a leaf cut out of construction paper w/ a paper clip on it. We are to write what we are thankful for on one side and our name on the other side. After dinner, the kids get to take each leaf off the tree and we read what everyone is thankful for! I have grown to just love this tradition. (Kelly)
– Christina Stewart
I’d love to hear your November ideas and traditions. Please add them in the comments below!
