I just received my first e-greeting of the upcoming holiday. I responded with my own colorful e-mail that took me some time to construct, complete with a photo. "Give time, not money." It's a mantra that I've been hearing more and more of as we head into this holiday season. It's like the stay-cation slogan of the holiday season. And I must admit: I'm thankful to hear it.
Thanksgiving is the holiday when I most miss my father. It was his favorite holiday since the emphasis is on what we have to be thankful for, and spending time with friends and family, without any of the pressure of having to purchase gifts for everyone.
A few years ago, when our kids were much younger, we began a tradition: Thanksgiving Hands. We cut out hands--like grade schoolers do for their Thanksgiving turkey art projects--and give one to each person present at our dinner table. Each person writes what he or she is thankful for, places the hands into a hat, and once all the hands are collected and shuffled, we each take one, careful to avoid taking our own in the process, read it aloud, and try to guess who wrote the message on the hand. It's a fun way to get to know each other a bit better.
Do you have a tradition during the holidays that emphasizes the "give time, not money" mantra? Or a favorite recipe? Please feel free to share it here. Who knows? By taking a few moments of our time, perhaps we'll all develop new family traditions that will keep on giving for years to come.
Happy Thanksgiving, All!
5 comments:
That pic of the tree is now my desktop background. Absolutely beautiful.
Thanks, Kyle!
I loved completing the hands in class and guessing to whom each belonged. Mine is on my fridge as a reminder. I wanted to do the same at my dinner but forgot to cut out the hands in time. Instead, we went around the table and said one thing we were thankful for. This year my table seated a very modern family unit. You can read about it in my upcoming essay. Hope your Thanksgiving was full of love.
Who is taking these gorgeous pictures and what camera do they have? They are breathtaking! I'm thinking about getting a new camera for Christmas. Please, do tell!
Happy Thanksgiving!
I love the electronic email. I love thanksgiving. I was able to see my little niece one more time before I go away for four months. I agree with what Kyle said, I put it on my desktop as well! It's beautiful.
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