Thanksgiving is a symbol of religious freedom and courage, of harvest and abundance, of family and traditions, and of the beginning of the Christmas season.
Creating the Atmosphere of Thankfulness
Fall is a welcoming time of hospitality and get-togethers with family and friends. Our homes reflect who lives inside and what we want to communicate to those we entertain. I want those who enter our doors to feel peace and joy, cozy warmth, and welcome. After all, it is the people in our lives that matter most.
Pumpkins and Their Pop of Joyful Color
Fall is definitely my favorite time of year. Everything around us declares the goodness of God and His faithfulness. I love to dot our home with punches of orange every season, especially in the fall, with my velvet pumpkins. The pumpkin is undoubtedly the perfect icon for Thanksgiving traditions because it represents God’s faithful promises. You plant the seeds in the summer and harvest them in the fall. Unlike tomatoes or green beans, which produce prolifically, pumpkins take time to mature. As a result, their harvest is greatly anticipated. So true of the promises of God. Sometimes, His promises take time to come to fruition. Furthermore, pumpkins are carved, and a light is placed inside to remind us that the light has come amid the darkness. Additionally, their splash of happy color is a JOYful reminder of thankfulness, bursting forth in a warm, jubilant song.
Our Thanksgiving Tree
In our home, we celebrate Thanksgiving Traditions starting on November 1st. Our Thanksgiving tree reminds us to consider each day what we have to be thankful for. On each leaf, the children write, with a chalkboard pen, something they are thankful for. The leaf is placed on the tree. I realize it is a bit backward, as trees in the fall usually lose their leaves over time, but our leaves miraculously find their way back onto the tree in our house. Adding to our Thanksgiving tree is a holiday favorite. Plus, it holds sentimental value because it was a project with my girls, my mother-in-law, and my grandma when she visited last year.
Thanksgiving Soundtrack
When the weather plunges into its winter temperatures and the fog rolls in, blanketing the hillsides, I begin to crave Christmas music. My heart longs for the traditions that pull us together and unite our hearts. But…I am not allowed. My family is adamant that Thanksgiving must have its own season. Autumn is my favorite time of year and, thus, deserves its own soundtrack. All that to say, this forced me to search for Thanksgiving music that encouraged cozy comfort and would help establish a fall soundtrack that would bind our hearts and embed the traditions they would carry on with their own families someday. Here are a few of our favorite albums:
- Libera: Angels Sing
- Little Women Soundtrack
- Poldark Soundtrack
- Pride and Prejudice Soundtrack
- Thanksgiving: A Time to Remember book with an accompanied audio CD by Barbara Rainey
- Colonial America: Hesperus: Early Music Ensemble
- We Gather Together: 14 Thanksgiving Hymns
The Original Thanksgiving with the Pilgrims and Indians
Although most of the foods we eat today are far removed from the original Thanksgiving feast, the purpose remains the same. The original Pilgrims and Indians gathered together to celebrate the harvest and to express their gratitude for their survival. Their first winter upon landing at Plymouth was brutal, resulting in many deaths. Over seventy-eight percent of the women perished from sickness, leaving mostly men, children, and teenagers behind. They were initially set to land in Florida, but were taken off course and landed in the harsher climate of the north. They were not prepared.
Thankfully, God’s Providential hand was upon them, bringing an Indian, Samoset, who spoke English, to teach them how to survive and thrive in their new home. He taught them how to plant corn and how to navigate the area. They had much to be thankful for on that first Thanksgiving of 1621.
With only about fifty colonists in attendance at the first Thanksgiving feast, more than likely, they were outnumbered two to one by their new Indian neighbors, the Wampanoag Indians, and their chief, Massasoit. The Indians brought with them much game to share. The colonists hunted fowl and fished for cod, lobster, mussels, and clams, which were plentiful in the area. With the help of the Indians, they probably harvested corn, which was made into porridge, as well as onions, beans, lettuce, spinach, cabbage, carrots, and pumpkins. Potatoes were not yet a popular tuber, so it is doubtful they had mashed potatoes and gravy. Also, they foraged blueberries, plums, grapes, gooseberries, raspberries, and cranberries. Unfortunately, sugar and flour were scarce, and there were no cattle to provide milk for butter, so it wasn’t likely they had any pies or sweetened cranberry sauce.
Thanksgiving Breakfast
The Menu
- Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice
- Holiday Potato Quiche
- Cinnamon Rolls
Thanksgiving Dinner & Dessert
Although Thanksgiving meal is not my favorite of the year, the concept of gathering what has been grown and harvested and preparing them into delicious traditional dishes floats my boat. I can’t think of any other meal that comprises so many different side dishes, takes days and days to prepare, and is consumed in minutes. Strange thought if you are making a giant meal for a small gathering.
In honor of the first Thanksgiving, the idea of everyone bringing a dish to share and contributing to the meal was the original idea. It is a meal meant to be shared both in preparation and in consumption. Truthfully, I have to say that now that my children are growing up, I enjoy holiday meals so much more with all the helping hands. It is one thing to have a small child “helping” and another to have an older child prepare a dish on their own. Needless to say, the years of training our young children to “help” us in the kitchen pay off when they are older and capable of preparing their favorite sides all on their own… yet together in the kitchen. Divide and concur. Visit and make memories. Hold on, families with little ones; your faithful work and training will bring much fruit.
The Menu
- Fermented Citrus & Spice Cranberry Chutney
- Crispy Brussels sprouts with Lemon & Garlic Aioli
- Kale and Brussels Sprout Salad
- Roasted Beets with Balsamic Glaze and Fresh Herbs
- Spiced Cranberry Hibiscus Sauce
- Creamed Corn
- Abby’s Thanksgiving Sweet Potatoes
- Coconut Green Beans
- Sage and Chestnut Sourdough Stuffing
- Mashed Potatoes and Gravy
- Turkey or Roast Chicken
- Prophetic Dinner Rolls (Sourdough Apple and Rosemary Dinner Rolls)
- Pumpkin Pie
- Apple Crisp
For Heavy Meals Such as this I Recommend:
Thanksgiving Traditions
- Board and Card Games
- A Traditional Family Photo
- Tomahawk and Knife Throwing
- Annual Kickball game
- Reading and Watching Primary Sources- Charlie Brown and Monumental (see below)
- 5 Kernels of Corn- everyone is given 5 kernels of corn, symbolizing the severe rations the Pilgrims were given on certain days to survive. Food was so scarce, but they had faith and were grateful. We go around the table one at a time and say something we are grateful for as we drop a kernel of corn into our bowl.
Dad: I have some bad news. Our annual Thanksgiving kickball tradition has been canceled today due to the rain.
Ashley: What annual Thanksgiving kickball tradition?
Dad– The one we were going to start today.
A Toast from our family to yours…Happy Thanksgiving
Shop This Post:
Thanksgiving: A Time to Remember book with an accompanied audio CD by Barbara Rainey (our favorite Thanksgiving Soundtrack)
Monumental: In Search of America’s National Treasure DVD
Of Plymouth Plantation by William Bradford
Fall Essential Oil Scents from RMO: Harvest Festival Kit & Fall Latte Kit
In everything you do -eat, play, and love- may it always be Seasoned with Joy!
This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. Unless stated otherwise, I will only recommend products I personally enJOY. See my full disclosure here.