Turkey Day? Football Day?

Well, not for us. I know that I often hear Thanksgiving Day referred to as “Turkey Day”. I often hear people talk about frying up a turkey and watching the big game. Hmmm….is this what Thanksgiving is really about?

In our house it is not.

If you were to come to our house on Thanksgiving Day you would find a celebration of family and togetherness…thankful just to have one another and to share in the wonderful things and people that God has given us.

If you were to come to our house on Thanksgiving Day, you would find a very large turkey, cooked in a roaster oven (I’m a vegetarian, but the people I live with aren’t), but you would not find the tv on. In our house, Thanksgiving Day is a tv-free day (well, except for the hubby and I traditionally watching Planes, Trains, & Automobiles together after the children are in bed). There’s no “men sitting on a recliner staring at a football game while the women clean up the kitchen” around here. My boys don’t even KNOW that there is a football game on.

Nope, at our house you would find everyone cleaning up the kitchen and dining room together, then sitting down to play board games together — even the little guys. Or you would find us at the beach if the weather was nice enough. Or you would see us going out for a family walk — just doing something as a family.

It seems sad to me that the true spirit of Thanksgiving (that of family, and of thankfulness) has become so lost in America today. I believe it is time to rebuild the family. Wanna watch a football game? TiVo it, while you go make memories with your children.

A Thanksgiving Memory
by Nelle Hardgrove

When Mom would baste the turkey,
We kids could hardly wait!
The smell of all that cooking,
The pies upon the plate,
The cranberries, red and juicy,
The dressing, golden-brown,
Potatoes, mashed and ready –
Can’t we, please, sit down?

When Mom would baste the turkey,
We knew she soon would say,
“Come! Count your many blessings
On this Thanksgiving Day.”
We’d all hold hands together
And bow our heads in prayer.
It was a happy moment
With all our loved ones there.

When Mom would baste the turkey,
My heart would glow with love!
Our home, so warm and peaceful,
Was blessed by heaven above.
Mom made our gatherings special
In a warm and loving way,
And I’ll always have her near me
On each Thanksgiving Day.