The weeks surrounding Thanksgiving and Christmas should be a special time of togetherness for family. It should be a time of creating special memories as we take the time to reflect on the goodness of God. Thankfulness is lost in our country. People seldom take the time to write a note of gratitude to anyone. We send a text message and believe that to be a sufficient show of our gratitude. We have become so “frugal” that we won’t spend the money for a stamp, and yet we have all the latest technology. I think Thanksgiving has become, in the last several years, the forgotten holiday.
We need to cut through the busyness of the holiday season and capture the true meaning of Thanksgiving. If we are not careful, we will get so caught up in the “hustle and bustle”that we forget what matters most. Listed below are just a few ways in which you can make the Thanksgiving holiday meaningful.
- Beginning November 1st, take the time to write a note to someone or tell them personally how thankful you are for them and why.
- Have your children memorize a poem or passage of Scripture that focuses on being thankful.
- Make a “blessing box.” List all of the blessings you have received as a family during the year, and on Thanksgiving Day have each family member pull out a blessing and read it out loud.
- Have each member in the family take the time to write a personal list of what they are thankful for. As our Pastor says, “If you don’t think you won’t thank.”
- Have craft time for your children. They can color or make a special placemat to be used on Thanksgiving Day for their place at the table.
- Bake something for your neighbors and have your children deliver it to them with a special note of gratitude.
- Have your children write a paragraph using the words thanks, thankful, and thankfulness as many times as possible.
- Remember someone in the military with a care package. There are men and women serving so that we can have a restful, worshipful holiday.
- Seize every teachable moment during the holiday season. Everyone should know why we are celebrating Thanksgiving and the true meaning of the day.
- Spend time as a family decorating the house for the holidays. Pass down the holiday traditions that mean so much to your family. When I walk into our married daughters’ homes, I am so thankful that they have learned to make their homes a special haven for their families during the holiday season—a place where each member of the family longs to be.
- Invite a guest or two to share in your Thanksgiving dinner. Someone in your church is lonely and would love to share Thanksgiving in a festive home. Look around you at church and see if you can be a blessing to someone on this special day of the year.
- Remember your church with a Thanksgiving offering. Each member of the family should contribute something from their “bank” to place in the offering plate during the Thanksgiving service.
- Take time to share the gospel during the holidays. If we as Christians do not reach out to a lost and dying world, who will? Remember, you might be the only Bible some people will ever read.
Whatever your family’s traditions might be, try to make some time this season to slow down and enjoy restful time together as a family. In the midst of all that takes place during this time of the year, we can easily forget why we’re celebrating in the first place.
As I write this article I am especially thankful for all of the members that make up the North Valley Baptist Church! Our journey here at North Valley has been nothing short of a blessing and something that we are very grateful for at this Thanksgiving season. Some of you have been with us from our first day here and for that Pastor and I will forever be grateful. We cherish and love each one of you!
Happy THANKSgiving!
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