November 25, 2010: Thanksgiving Day

Happy Thanksgiving!

On the Way to Thanksgiving

A family tradition.
A photo essay.
Number 11.

-Give [picture of leaves] Thanks-

Watch "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving"

On the Way to Thanksgiving

A family tradition.
A photo essay.
Number 10.




-Give [picture of leaves] Thank-



Find something that you can give to someone who needs it more than you



Outgrown clothes

On the Way to Thanksgiving

A family tradition.
A photo essay.
Number 9.

-Give [picture of leaves] Than-

Have an after-school picnic with cider and doughnuts

On the Way to Thanksgiving

A family tradition.
A photo essay.
Number 8.



-Give [picture of leaves] Tha-



Plant bulbs



Giant Allium



On the Way to Thanksgiving

A family tradition.
A photo essay.
Number 7.

-Give [picture of leaves] Th-

Make a Christmas present for someone

Work in Progress

On the Way to Thanksgiving

A family tradition.
A photo essay.
Number 6.

-Give [picture of leaves] T-

Go for a night walk

Sparkle Lights

On the Way to Thanksgiving

A family tradition.
A photo essay.
Number 5.

-Give [picture of leaves]-

Trace your hand and draw a picture of a turkey

A Gaggle of Turkeys

On the Way to Thanksgiving

A family tradition.
A photo essay.
Number 4.

-Give-

Play with the Thanksgiving felt board

On the Way to Thanksgiving

A family tradition.
A photo essay.
Number 3.

-Giv-

Have a family hug

On the Way to Thanksgiving

A family tradition.
A photo essay.
Number 2.

-Gi-





Put on a Thanksgiving puppet show

 

The Mayflower sailing over the sea

The Pilgrims meet the Indians

Catch that turkey!

On the Way to Thanksgiving

A family tradition.
A photo essay.
Number 1.



The Envelope Garland



-G-

Read a story about Thanksgiving.




The Thanksgiving Story by Alice Dalgliesh

November 11: St. Martin of Tours

Memorial of St. Martin of Tours, bishop

Martin lived in the 4th century and was consecrated as Bishop of Tours in 372.  As a young man he had been a soldier, and there is a story often depicted in art about an encounter he had with a beggar.  With nothing to give the poor man but the clothes on his back, Martin used his sword to cut his heavy military cloak in half.  That night in a dream Martin saw Jesus wrapped in the cloak he had given the beggar.

In the spirit of Martin of Tours, we celebrated the day by donating a bag of clothes to the thrift store operated by a local rescue mission.

November 2: All Souls' Day

All Souls' Day
The day the Church commemorates all the faithful departed.

I was probably in high school when I first read about el Dia de los Muertos -- the Day of the Dead -- celebrations in Mexico.  The holiday appealed to me on many levels -- a little scary, a little fun, mysterious and colorful.  As Linda Lowery writes in Day of the Dead:

Where would you be without the family members who came before you?  Think about it.  You would not be here!  Isn't that worth celebrating?  Day of the Dead is not a sad time.  It is a warm and loving time to remember people who have died.  It is a time to be thankful for life.

November 1: All Saints' Day

All Saints' Day
A holy day set aside to honor all the saints of the Church.

In our house, we celebrate this feast by putting pictures of our patron saints on the dining table during dinner.  We also serve foods that our patron saints might have eaten when they were alive: challah bread, a rustic fruit tart, shortbread, and Italian cheesecake.  This year, for the first time, we ended our celebration by dancing to a recording of Louis Armstrong singing "When the Saints Go Marching In."  Truly celebratory!