The True Meaning of Giving Thanks

What's not to love about Thanksgiving? This is the start of a four-day weekend. You do not get up too early. In the afternoon, you gather with family to share a huge, delicious meals, with guarantees of leftovers. There is football and a long nap for Dad, fellowhip and fun for everyone. Best of all, except for food, no purchase is necessary to have a wonderful day. For this reason alone, adults love Thanksgiving.

Your children love without doubt, too a day off from school, filled with a lot of treatment but they probably think of Thanksgiving as you did when you were small, is that the holiday lies between Halloween and Christmas. We do not wear crazy costumes for Thanksgiving, we do not receive or give gifts, as a rule. Thus, since children are not bombarded with advertisements, telling them what they have to get Thanksgiving (if they wish to function), it may be difficult for them, in our consumption-oriented culture, understand what it is. After all, holidays mean this, right?

You tell your children to hunger pilgrims, who were saved by donations of food from local Indians, and how our country may not have developed as it did without this act of goodness. But few of us ever mark the goodness that we in our turkey and dressing. It's strange, when you think about this. Thanksgiving is one holiday that everything is really to give and receive, but advertisers still have not figured in order to extend our credit limits to the maximum.

So how can you make this holiday without some real meaning for your children? You could start with the word itself. We often forget that Thanksgiving is a compound word of the day is designed to give thank you. If your children are old enough to enjoy receiving gifts and blessings, they are old enough to begin to learn the concept of grace.

Before the holidays, sit down with your children and ask them what they have in their life that makes them happy. They May behalf of a toy or a bicycle or a game, but chances are when they really think about it, they will be happy for the same things that you family and friends, love and health a roof over their heads. Make a list of these things with your kids-band on the refrigerator, or place where your children can be reminded of all they have to be grateful.

Talk to your kids about how they can give the harvest. This is an excellent opportunity to teach them that giving takes many forms. With the approach of Christmas, they can perhaps think about donating some toys they grew tired of the charity, so that children less fortunate can have a better stay. Or, if your children receive an allowance, they may want to donate a portion thereof, between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

There are even volunteer activities appropriate for young children. Something as simple as a neighborhood cleanup can involve many children, supervision. Local residents and businesses can be addressed donation to the effort, whose product can then be sent to a charity for children of choice.

For pity's sake should not only be the break between Halloween and Christmas. Even your kids is a day which can have real meaning, and live up to its name.

Author Bio
J Gardener, a writer for imaginary Greetings, Inc. (www.imaginarygreetings.com), is a scenario editor and award-winning author to contribute regularly to many questions of family. Greetings imaginary very imaginative offers customized based family of products and services. To learn more about how to make your holiday magic tree seen www.santasornamentshop.com.