Thanks Giving Thankful Gifts

Thankful and gifts usually don’t go together.  Christmas and gifts do.   So let’s change up the normal and give at Thanksgiving, because after all it has Giving in the name.  Here are a few ideas for you to give to others this month.

On the table are all the supplies to make Thanksgiving Snack Bags.   Our family made these about four different years and gave them to school teachers, pastors, Sunday school teachers, and the piano teacher.  We made this Thanksgiving snack bag and gave them the week before Thanksgiving with a Thank You card in appreciation for their influence in my kids life.

The Teachers loved them because they had time to appreciate the Thanksgiving gift and card. No one had given them a gift at Thanksgiving. One teacher thought putting the bugles on his fingers was going to be fun.

Our family enjoyed making them and when it came time for Christmas, we were done with our gifts to teachers and influencers.   

Recipe:  

Adjust the amount of the food based on the size of your bag.

Cellophane Bags with twist ties and Twine to add the Bag Tag.

Fill the bottom of the bag first in this order

1 cup Peanuts

8-12 orange candy slices to cover the Peanuts (can substitute dried fruit)

1 cup Candy Corn

1-2 cups Pretzels

2 cups Bugles on top so they won’t crush.

Tie bag shut and add tag with twine

Nutritionally this has sugars, salt, fats and more, but it’s fun and you are giving it away as a snack for once in a lifetime.  Moderation!

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Words on Bag tag:  

The Bugles are a symbol of the cornucopia, a horn of plenty.

The Pretzels represent arms folded in thanks and prayer.

The Candy Corn reminds us that during the first winter the pilgrims were allowed a small amount of corn per day because food was so scarce.

The Fruit is a reminder that Thanksgiving is the celebration of the harvest.

The Peanuts represent seeds, the potential of the bounteous harvest for the next season.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Another great way to give to others is a Thanksgiving meal.  We did this through our church when the kids were young and most recently through a community nonprofit Bridges of Hope. Bridges of Hope Link for Meals

At church the kids in each age group were told to bring one item for a Thanksgiving meal.  First grade: stuffing, second grade: cranberries, third grade: canned vegetable and etc.   You get the point. The organizer took an item from each category and filled a box full of food for a Thanksgiving meal.  Donated money was used to purchase turkeys.

Names were gathered and our family volunteered with some other families to deliver the uncooked box of food the week before Thanksgiving.  This was before GPS, so we had fun just trying to find the house with the address.

When we volunteer through Bridges of Hope we usually sign up for a family of 5 or 6 since we are a family that size.  We are given a name and number and address. We call them and ask when we could deliver the food. We take our family to the grocery store and purchase food for their Thanksgiving meal and deliver it to them a week before thanksgiving.

Our kids got some hands on experiences and memories helping and feeding others.   Its a fun thing to do as a family as we shop and deliver it together.

Find a way you can give to others this Thanksgiving and make it something fun for the family to do together .  Try one of these ideas or something unique you can do to give to others.

  We Give to others and Give Thanks to God!

Last weeks blog I gave 5 Ideas to center November and Thanksgiving around Thanks.  Check out that link if you missed it.

Comment for any other ideas to give to others at Thanksgiving!