Thanksgiving is Around the Corner!

We are well into the crisp, cool, pumpkin-laden month of November. Thanksgiving is just around the corner. The mention of turkeys will soon be everywhere, and we (in the United States, anyway) will all be taking time to remember the blessings in our lives (even more than usual!)

With that in mind, I thought I would compile a list of resources for making this Thanksgiving special.

Thanksgiving Books-

I just love books, and the more books I can read and get my children into about a particular cultural event or holiday, the better! Here are some that are good for kids and adults to read together.

P is for Pumpkin: God’s Harvest Alphabet by Kathy-jo Wargin

Squanto’s Journey by Joseph Bruchac

Happy Thanksgiving, Curious George

Sharing the Bread: an Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving Story by Pat Zielow Miller

The Perfect Thanksgiving by Eileen Spinelli

Just a Special Thanksgiving by Mercer Mayer

The Berenstain Bears Give Thanks by Jan and Mike Berenstain

Thanksgiving Videos-

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving/The Mayflower Voyagers– I think the Peanuts gang has a special for just about every holiday! This one will be popular in our house with the new Peanuts movie coming out. We’ve been reading lots of Peanuts comic books and will be watching anything that happens to be airing this November. We watched this one for the first time a couple of years ago. Who doesn’t love the Thanksgiving feast they come up with? (Popcorn and toast, anyone?)

All About Thanksgiving– Just a quick little video (less than a minute) about the origin of Thanksgiving.

25 Little Known Facts About Thanksgiving (Mental Floss)- A longer video, probably more suitable (and interesting) for older children, teens and grown-ups.

Thanksgiving Activities-

Do you have favorite activities for this time of year? I love writing my blessings down and sharing them on Facebook every year, but I wanted to get my children into the same habit (year-round of course, but especially as Thanksgiving approaches!) We did something similar to Rebekah’s,  Thankful Tree one year. I love seeing what my babies are thankful for!

Simply Rebekah’s Thankful Tree

Ministry-to-Children’s Thanksgiving resources– I just love this site and have used it so much in children’s ministry. They have a TON of Thanksgiving-related activity ideas, printables, and articles. You can easily use the printables at home as well.

Favorite Thanksgiving Foods-

I can’t let a post about Thanksgiving go by without mentioning food! I’m fairly new to cooking our family’s Turkey Day feast, so I was a bit intimidated by cooking a huge turkey the first time I did it. I really appreciate Wardee’s post, Perfectly Moist Turkey, Every Time. (Definitely check it out if you are new to cooking turkey, or you don’t like the way your turkeys have turned out in the past!)

Bacon Brussels Sprouts– I know, I know. You’ll just have to hear me out on this one! These are SO good. (Bacon makes everything great). My 8 year old and 6 year old gobble these up. (Really!)

Also, my family loves this cranberry sauce recipe by Simply Recipes! It’s so easy, and so good. (It beats the canned stuff, hands down!)

Some members of my family deal with food allergies (dairy/egg/nuts), so finding a good, festive Thanksgiving dessert can be tricky. Last year, I made this Vegan Pumpkin Crumb Cake (I swap out the soy milk and use coconut or rice milk, and use pumpkin seeds in place of the nuts).

Those are just some of the resources I’ve used (and plan to use again) to make our Thanksgiving more exciting and memorable. Tell me about some of the things that make your Thanksgiving more special!
Becky is a wife of nine years and stay at home mom to four young children. She aspires to encourage women in Biblical truth on her blog, Happy Christian Home