This is the second year that we haven’t celebrated Thanksgiving in the “traditional” way. We’ve been working on changing Thanksgiving traditions and figuring out our own way to be together as a family during a time when so many people have time off work and so many places of business are closed.
You can read my post about last year’s Thanksgiving reflections here.
This year, the kids were invited to a friend’s dinner so we did that on Wednesday evening. It was really casual and a fun time between my kiddos and my friend’s kiddos. The kids made cotton candy and snow cones and ate dinner together. We also read the “Truth About Thanksgiving” aloud at the table. It was a bit silly because the kids are all still really young and it’s hard for them to focus but we made it through.
Thursday morning, we woke up and ate cinnamon rolls together, then we decorated for Christmas and Hanukkah, also known as Chrismukkah. We bought a new fake, white Christmas tree and decorated the window in the front of our townhome. We took the rest of the day to relax, watch tv and lay around the house.
During breakfast, our 7-year-old read the “Truth About Thanksgiving” again aloud at the table.
I found this resource during a google search looking for something we could use to educate the kids. It took at least an hour before I stumbled across this blog post, which led me to the above downloadable, which was exactly what I was looking for. It cost $6 and is completely worth it. I highly recommend it if you’re looking for an easy-to-understand way to explain the truth and origins of this holiday with young kids.
We attempted to discuss the information as a family after breakfast, but with a 7 and 4-year-old, it’s always hard to tell how much is actually being retained. Still, we’re glad to lay the groundwork anyway and have it be part of our new process.
Lastly, we made a donation to the Navajo Relief Fund. You can look up which Native tribes lived in the area where you currently reside using this website.
Resources:
I’m taking this year to again share resources that I’ve personally found helpful for navigating this holiday, how to celebrate, and indigenous accounts I follow, in case anyone else wants to check them out:
Article: The True, Dark History of Thanksgiving
IG Accounts: @dawnlandmovie @illuminative @nativegiving @delfinaroybal @decolonizemyself
You Cannot Decolonize Thanksgiving – IG post
Thanksgiving is a Celebration of White Supremacy & Indigenous Genocide – IG post
How are you and your family changing Thanksgiving traditions this year?