Thanksgiving activities for the family

I always feel a little bit bad for Thanksgiving. It's the most distinctly American of all holidays (with the exception of Independence Day - though even that isn't nearly as "American" as Thanksgiving, since Independence days have been celebrated throughout the world for millennia, while the concept of Thanksgiving itself was new and unique to North America and north americans at the time of the holiday's founding... but I digress...)

Where was I? Thanksgiving is the most distinctly American of all holidays, yet it's become more of an afterthought than a celebration since it's inconveniently located between the two biggest consumer holidays, Halloween and Christmas/Hannukah/Kwanzaa/Festivus. Since North America is a consumer culture, money is always the leading indicator of popularity, and since nothing is being sold for Thanksgiving aside from turkey and cranberry sauce, it's not marketed as heavily as Halloween (costumes, candy, decorations) and Christmas (everything under the sun).

Which is all the more reason, I say, to celebrate with Thanksgiving activities your whole family can enjoy. Maybe it's my innate sympathy for the underdog, or perhaps my love of overeating and football, but personally I've found my memories of Thanksgiving activities with the people I love to be at least equal to my memories of more popular holidays.

Of course most Thanksgiving activities revolve around the concept of giving thanks, so that's a good place to start. It's particularly rewarding to do this with kids, since teaching little ones the concept of "giving thanks" and getting them to think about the things they should be thankful for is a crucial step in developing them into fully fledged adults.

Pick up some construction paper and scissors to make a Thanksgiving wreath, and have your kid write something that he or she is thankful for on each wreath. This also works with making a construction paper turkey, and having the little one write a different reason for thanks on each feather.

Of course there are more involved crafts as well. Collect leaves, straw and hay to make corn dollies - an autumn tradition that dates back into prehistory in the Gaelic and Druid cultures. Or if you're more artistic yourself, you can carve a turkey out of pinecones or driftwood.

The key is to remember the spirit of the holiday and incorporate that into your various Thanksgiving activities.