This comment made to me by one of my friends with young children might resonate with others out there as well, so I thought I would share the advice I gave her with the rest of you who might be thinking the same thing. An inexpensive way to bring a little meaning back into this holiday starts with a trip to your local public library (or your own bookshelf if you have a good selection of Thanksgiving holiday stories). You can also
look up "first Thanksgiving" or "Pilgrim life" or a similar search term on your computer, and copy/paste your favorite facts, and then print them out. Call a family meeting the day before Thanksgiving, making it special by serving hot chocolate, or make this the topic of discussion around the dinner table. Talk about the first Thanksgiving with your family, asking your children to share what they can remember from learning about the Pilgrims and Thanksgiving at school. You might be surprised at how much they already know. Discuss why they made this very long, hard, and dangerous trip in the first place, and discuss what the voyage must have been like for them. (If you don't know, google it, or look in the books.) About half of the Pilgrims died on the voyage - it was definitely not a pleasure cruise! Discuss what they found when they landed on Plymouth Rock. The Pilgrims were exhausted, weak, sick, and arrived in a wild land where there was nothing - no houses, no hot showers, no stoves, no fireplaces - they had to build everything and figure out how to find food, water, and survive. And a cold winter was quickly approaching! Luckily the Native Americans they met were friendly (but they didn't know that at first) and helpful in teaching them new ways to survive. After their first harvest, the Pilgrims held a feast to celebrate their survival in this new land, and invited their Native American friends to join them. These facts are all great conversation starters for talking about standing up for what you believe in, perservering even when it's hard, the meaning of true friendship, bravery and courage, trying new solutions to solve problems, and more. Challenge your children to think about and list all the things they have in their lives that the Pilgrims did not have, and what things are most important and valuable to each of them.
Then on Thanksgiving day, just before you begin your own feast when you are all gathered around the table, let each family member and guest give thanks for something they are grateful for in their own lives. This is a wonderful way to bring meaning back into your Thanksgiving holiday. The first time we did this in our family, my son, who was six at the time, announced, "I am thankful that I wasn't a Pilgrim!". Clearly, he got the point of this exercise! :)
May you and your family and guests share a very Happy Thanksgiving!
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