I have been getting the Home And Haven seasonal bundles this year, just to add a little fun to our homeschool, and one of the winter bundles included a "Thanksgiving" category. One of the worksheets had gratitude conversation starters, and I thought I would borrow a few of the questions and share my answers here, just for some pre-Thanksgiving fun!
What experience in the last year are you most grateful for?
I think the experience I'm most grateful for this year is our trip to the Ark Encounter. It is such an odd distance away, where it would be easier to fly, but flying would make the trip so much more expensive. But it is also far enough away that it feels on the verge of too far to drive. I don't think we would have made it there at all unless our good friends had been game to go with us, and thankfully they were. Traveling together is probably one of the truest tests of a friendship, isn't it? Traveling with these particular friends was a delightful experience and not difficult at all, and I am experienced enough in my life to realize how rare it is to find a friendship like that! I'm really grateful for a meaningful trip and friendship at it's best.
What is your favorite part about your home?
I think my favorite part about our home is our woodstove. I loved our wood stove so much at our last house, that I just had to have one here too. It's adds so much coziness to these colder days, and it makes me not mind the brown ugliness of November. At first I did NOT love the woodstove though, because every time we tried to light a fire in it, smoke would pour into our house. We finally got a specialist out to look at it, and he told us that the builder had installed the top part of the chimney incorrectly. Apparently the pipe of a chimney or stove has to be taller than the tallest point in your house, or the smoke will not go up and out. Something to do with air pressure and suction. Another reminder that building a house correctly is even more scientific than I sometimes realize.
What book are you grateful for?
Aside from the Bible, which is certainly a given, I'm grateful for Christmas At The Vinyl Cafe. My penpal, Felicia, sent me a copy for Christmas last year, and it was so delightful that I fully intend to read it again this year. It's a collection of humorous short stories surrounding the holidays, and it's one of those books that makes me laugh and cry. Sometimes you need something that makes you forget political divisions, that makes you appreciate the common human experience of modern holidays - good, bad, and ugly and glorious. It's a good book.
Who did something nice for you today?
This has been a particularly nice mail week - my sister-in-law sent us a really thoughtful package with cotton plants, which is cool for the kids to see because we do not have cotton plants here! It's interesting for them to see a crop specimen from another part of the country.
I also received an unexpected mystery package in the mail with a copy of Jotham's Journey, which is an advent book I was trying to get from the library to read with the kids this year. I found out it was from my Aunt! She read my mind, and I'm so excited to own a copy and to start it with the kids!
What is a smell you are grateful for?
I'm getting over a cold this week, and I weirdly lost my sense of smell, which almost never happens to me. I miss good smells! Right now I wish I could smell all the wreaths I've been seeing at the stores. Is there anything more Christmasy than the smell of a pine tree? I'm grateful they smell like that.
What memory always makes you smile?
I was thinking yesterday about a childhood tradition we had - every year we kids would go on a shopping day with my dad to find gifts for my mom. We'd start early and be gone all day. We'd always eat at Arby's for lunch, and we would always stop at Best Buy for a new Christmas CD to listen to while we were driving. After we had found all her gifts, we'd end the day with meeting my mom for a movie at the theater. We'd wrap all her presents together too, and my dad would label the gift tags with characters from Christmas movies. I so looked forward to that shopping day every year - it was special to go shopping with just dad.
I also decided to throw in a little Thanksgiving this or that, just for fun - I got the prompts from this article. I looked through a few this or that graphics on image search too, but I found alot of the questions ridiculous. Thanksgiving parade or dog show? I didn't even know dog shows on Thanksgiving were a thing. Turkey or tofurkey? Really? Who in their right mind would choose the latter if they weren't vegetarian/vegan? Honestly.
Anyway, here we go!
Host or attend? I usually love the idea of hosting Thanksgiving, but this year especially I am overwhelmed by the idea of it. It's been a really weird November, and I'm just mentally drained. So attending wins this year.
Turkey or ham? I think I'm going to have to go with turkey. Hams are more of an Easter thing for me.
Travel or stay home? I don't believe I've ever actually traveled for Thanksgiving, not more than a couple hours anyway. I have to pick stay home, because it's really been my only experience of the holiday!
Stuffing or potatoes? Potatoes! Confession: I've never actually liked stuffing. I don't know why I don't.
Large gathering or just a couple of loved ones? Large gatherings are always fun!
Dress up or comfy clothes? I actually like dressing up for Thanksgiving. I don't get that many chances to wear nice clothes, so I take my opportunities where I can get them. However, about an hour after dinner and halfway into my second piece of pie, stretchy pants are nice.
Pumpkin or apple pie? Pumpkin pie all the way, because it's so iconic for Thanksgiving. Apple pies are appropriate any time of year, but you only get pumpkin around the holidays.
In case I don't post again this week - Happy Thanksgiving, friends! I hope you can see the goodness of God to you more clearly than ever this year, and spend some time thanking the Giver of all good gifts.
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