Beyond the Turkey and Taters

Beyond the Turkey and Taters:

How Will You Spend Thanksgiving This Year?

We all have our favorite reason for the kickoff of the holiday season.  Perhaps it’s the anticipation of wonderful meals.  Maybe it’s looking forward to much-needed time with loved ones.  It could be the break from the hustle and bustle of work life. 

While we enjoy each of those things, as well, we thought we would share a few out-of-the-box ways to celebrate Thanksgiving this year:

Give Back:

• Spend a few hours at a nursing home. Many of our community’s elderly receive few visitors during the holiday season, so decide to set aside a few hours to go to a local nursing home or long-term care facility to visit with or read to the residents. 
• Step it up for charity. Several local charities hold fundraising campaigns this time of year, and one of our favorites is the Turkey Trot, a 5k (also a 5-mile option) held annually on Thanksgiving morning.  For more information on the event, including how to register, visit: http://www.tcturkeytrot.com.
• Send soldiers some love. For our deployed service personnel, the holiday season can be a tough time.  There are many organizations that assist in getting mail and care packages to those stationed across the globe.  Check out https://www.operationgratitude.com/express-your-thanks/write-letters or http://www.adoptaussoldier.org to learn more about the process and how you can personally help!

  Embrace Technology.   If you can’t be with your loved ones this year, why not plan a “Skype Dinner”?  And, we don’t just mean for the eating portion of the meal either.  Instead, plan to video chat during at least a portion of the meal prep time, as well.  We are blessed to live in the digital age, so why not make the most of it!

  Write the Reasons.  The written word is still the most powerful form of media the world has at its fingertips, and the value of a handwritten note can never be understated for the giver and receiver.  Decide to leave a note under the plate of each of your dinner guests (even if it is only your immediate family sharing the meal) explaining what you love most about them.  You might be surprised how well such a seemingly small personal gesture is received.

  The holiday season is the time when people go out of their way to express gratitude for the people in their lives and the good they bring to the world around us.  Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for supporting us in our mission to assist the Traverse Bay Children’s Advocacy Center this year!