This Thanksgiving Treasury

includes the following articles:

 

Thanksgiving Indians

Thankfulness?

Thanksgiving for the Heart

Holiday Recipes

Handling Family Issues During the Holidays

(Please pardon my font problems on this page!) 

 

 

We give thanks, O God,

we give thanks,

for your name is near;

men declare your wondrous deeds.

Psalm 75:1 

 

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THANKSGIVING INDIANS

Written in November 2001 by Virginia Knowles

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Darshan, Kartik, Siddharth, Nilesh and Ramaram. No, these Indians weren’t guests at the first Pilgrim Thanksgiving in 1621, along with Squanto and Samoset. They are REAL Indians, from India! And we hosted them, along with Nan and Feixue from China, for a traditional American Thanksgiving in 2001. I suppose I should back up a little here in the story. 

Last year (2000), I saw a notice in our church bulletin that a ministry to UCF international students was looking for donated furniture and other household items to help the newcomers get settled. At the time, we had two extra couches sitting in our garage, waiting for a good home. We called Mei-Ling Liu, and she arrived with an Indian student and loaded up a pickup truck! A few months ago, we had some dining room chairs ready to go, so she came again. On the phone, she mentioned that the student who would receive the furniture had been sharing an apartment with several other students, but since his wife was arriving from India the following week, he was going to get his own place and had nothing for it! Before they got to our house about an hour later, I scurried around and filled some plastic bins with spare sheets, cleaning supplies, laundry detergent, kitchen utensils, an extra queen size comforter, and whatever else I could find that they might need. This time, my husband Thad, and my daughter Julia, who is twelve, took our van out to the campus area to help with the delivery.

 

Anyway, this was SO much fun, that several days later, using some profits from the Learner’s Journal, I bought four small trash baskets at the dollar store, and started stuffing them with goodies: scissors, tape, mug, hot cocoa, utensils, soap, wash cloths, measuring spoons, etc. When I told Mei-Ling that I had four gift baskets ready, she suggested they use them for the new student prize drawing. Last month, Mei-Ling, Joanna (almost 9) and I had the pleasure of delivering them to Darshan, Nilesh, Kartik and Nan at their scantily equipped apartments. At the same time, we invited them to come, along with a friend (hence Ramaram, Siddharth and Feixue), and join us for Thanksgiving. They all eagerly accepted.

 

As the time drew near, plans began to take shape. Joanna sat down several days ahead of time and wrote out a menu. It was great practice making a list and sorting it by categories: meat, vegetables, side dishes, desserts, beverages. She put a check by the items we already had, and a circle by the ones we needed to get. Then Lydia, who is 7, wrote out a shopping list for us. We had to plan for plenty of non-meat-product foods for our the vegetarians among our Hindu guests. I ended up cooking way too much food, but leftovers never go to waste around here, so that’s cool. We actually roasted and carved the turkey a day ahead of time and reheated it with the broth. It turned out great, and relieved me from a lot of the hassle on Thanksgiving Day. It was one way for me to be more "Mary" and less "Martha" in my hospitality, and it made a world of difference. The girls also made several desserts a day ahead of time. Even four year old Andrew helped make the punch and rice crispy treats. They all made such a great team! Of course there was still lots to do on Thursday, but everyone pitched in wonderfully. Thad mowed the lawn, mopped the floor, brought in our folding table from the garage, and drove our van out to the University of Central Florida to pick up our guests. Mary and Lydia hung autumn-colored paper leaves from the ceiling. Rachel folded the napkins all fancy and raked the yard. Joanna cleaned up the living room and made name tags and place cards on the computer. Julia pitched in wherever she was needed. I washed off our wedding crystal and china. Everyone cooked up a storm, but we still put our guests to work opening cans of vegetables at the last minute. (They WANTED to do something to help!) 

 

Our dinner conversation was lively. We talked some about American culture and foods, about their majors at UCF (all engineering and computer science, and mostly, if not all, at the graduate level). One of the Indian men happened to ask Feixue about freedom of religion in China (in reference to the Fulang Gong cult), and she staunchly defended her government and said that they were merely educating people to be more scientific instead of superstitious. To an atheist like her, it seems the reason that people are religious is that they are raised that way by their families and don’t know what else to believe. She and Nan (a man) are both atheists. The Hindu said he could not imagine not being able to talk to a god about things that bothered him. Feixue joked that in China, before you get married, your father is your god, and after you get married, your husband takes that place.  

 

After dinner, we enlisted a couple of the men to haul our heavy TV out of its hiding place so we could watch an animated video about William Bradford and the First Thanksgiving. This was my husband’s great idea. At first, we couldn’t find the video, but then Mary remembered that it was in her babysitting bag. I’m so glad she found it! The video is neat because it tells about a group of dedicated Christians leaving England in 1620 to gain religious freedom, and how they set up their own government where each man could vote and help make the decisions. (What a radical concept for a Chinese person!) It also showed how much friendship there was between the native Americans and the Pilgrims in those early years. After the video I explained a few things they may not have understood, and told how the colonists eventually won their independence from England and became the United States of America. I also shared the story of how the Star Spangled Banner was written during the War of 1812. 

 

My friend Mei-Ling had suggested that we ask each of the students to tell us something about their country or their growing up years. This sure made for a great geography lesson! Some of the Indian men told us about the temples, idol worship, pilgrimages, arranged marriages and other Hindu customs. Our new Chinese friends told about inventions and education in their country. It’s interesting to note that Feixue, the young lady, was much smitten by baby Naomi, our eighth child. In her country, families are usually only permitted one child each, with forced abortions for those who try to have unauthorized extra babies. Sigh... We did have a few opportunities to share tidbits about our Christian faith, and for that I am thankful.  

 

The students were most intrigued when I told them about home schooling. One asked about diplomas, and another asked about how we choose our scope and sequence. I told them about how I approach each school subject, and mentioned that for geography we pick a different continent each year. Last year, when we studied Asia, we learned about Mahatma Gandhi and Indian independence. This year we are studying Europe. When I told about how we get to choose our own curriculum, I can only wonder at the impression this made on our Chinese guests, where education is so tightly controlled by the government.  

 

We also had a little musical entertainment. Julia played a Beethoven Sonatina on the piano, and Lydia sang "My Country ‘Tis of Thee" and "Come Ye Thankful People Come." Feixue then asked each of our daughters to tell something about themselves and what they like to do. I was in the bedroom changing diapers on the two little ones for part of this time, and I kept hearing uproarious laughter! What a jolly time! At the end, we all gathered on the couch and Thad took pictures. I am going to scan them and send them to each one by e-mail. I told the students that they are welcome to e-mail us with any more questions about American culture. 

 

All in all, it was a most wonderful experience! The students all expressed their delight at being invited for an American Thanksgiving just a few months after arriving here. One student pulled Thad aside to say how much he appreciated visiting our family because he had been in a boarding school most of his life. Another one called the next day to say how much he liked the food, especially the desserts! Thad and I are already planning to invite them back for a Christmas party next month. We won’t attempt a big meal, just lots of desserts! Thad could also drive them around a few neighborhoods to see Christmas lights.

 

I write this to encourage you to consider showing holiday (and every day!) hospitality to folks outside your normal circle of friends and relatives. Ask God to connect you with someone who could appreciate a home cooked meal eaten with a friendly family. This might be an elderly neighbor or nursing home resident whose children and grandchildren live far away. It could be a young single mom who has been forsaken by the ones who were supposed to love and support her. It could be someone who suffers from mental illness and lives in a group home. Or it could be that college student, international or not, who is missing his or her family at holiday time. (I remember being in this unenviable position while I was at UCF in 1983, and am grateful that the parents of one of my friends invited me for Thanksgiving.) 

 

"But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous." Luke 14:13-14 

 

These small acts of kindness do make a huge difference! 

 

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THANKFULNESS?

Written in November 2000 by Virginia Knowles

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It’s happened again.  The article that I FIRST wrote for this month’s column has been bumped by an early morning flash of insight.  My first try at my annual Thanksgiving article was inspirationally historical (or is that historically inspirational?).  You would have thought I was very sophisticated.   But I honestly just want to get real with you.

 

When we talk about Thanksgiving, many of us think about the day in November when we get more stuffed than the turkey.  Our minds turn to all sorts of cute activities for reminding our families to “be thankful” during this time of year.  But as good as this is, it falls far short.  Thanksgiving is not just a holiday, but a necessary attitude for every moment of every day. 

 

I think one of the hardest struggles for many home school moms is  dealing with grumbling and whining.  Wouldn’t it be quite something if we could just sit them down and give them a single lesson about contentment, and “voila!” -- our homes would instantly enter a state of bliss where our children would always cheerfully and sweetly gush their gratitude for all our efforts?  We work so hard at teaching them (way beyond the 3Rs), training them (to have upstanding moral character), feeding them (hopefully healthy food) and so much more.  What a rude awakening when they start to complain that “all” their friends (“even the home schooling ones!”) get to eat potato chips and Pop Tarts everyday or are allowed to watch whatever they want on TV or have their own fabulously decorated bedroom or that their mother does their laundry (all new designer clothes) for them!  Or they think their school work is boring because you haven’t planned thrill-a-minute (as in “expensive” and “time-consuming”) activities every day.  Or you are trying to help one child with a complicated lesson, and another one gets frustrated because you can’t help him at the exact same time. Or you patiently try to explain some concept to them, and when they still don’t get it, they vent on you.  Don’t think you are the only one who faces this problem!   I hear it all the time for other home school moms, and I’ve seen it in my own home.   (You didn’t think we were perfect, did you?)  To tell you the truth, for all our efforts, we did expect a little more credit and respect.  And they SHOULD be grateful.  It’s no credit to their own character if they’re not.   

 

Notwithstanding the way they should be, I’d like to address the moms here.  As I tell my children, they have responsibilities to act rightly regardless of what others are doing.  And the same goes for us.  No matter how our children respond to us or what their attitudes are, we need to set some things firmly in our own minds if we want to keep going and still retain our sanity.

 

First is that we are not home schooling to win the daily applause of our children.  We are doing it because we care about how they turn out in the long run and because we have felt called to take primary responsibility for their training and education.  When you are challenging someone towards excellence, it’s a very stretching experience for everyone.  It goes against our human nature, which wants to be coddled and entertained and free to indulge its own desires.  Our children will NOT always appreciate what we do -- at least not now.  It’s tempting to give in to their demands and be over-permissive just to gain their approval, but that’s a trap!  It’s our JOB as parents to set and enforce limits (see Hebrews 12:7-11).  But while we should be seeking to influence their attitudes and behavior in the right direction, we must also grant them the dignity of forming their own opinions.  (That’s hard for those of us who tend to be “control freaks.”)  When your children approach the teen years, you know they will have to start dealing directly with God himself if they are going to go any further in the faith that we have attempted to hand down to them.  

Second is that we cannot base our contentment -- our own sense of gratitude and well-being -- on either people or things, which will always disappoint us.  That’s difficult to learn for those of us whose identities and images are so bound up in being home school moms.  After we put all this time and energy into something, we want things to go just how we planned.   In other words, “If I do this step and that and follow this character-building curriculum, my children are guaranteed to be smart, healthy, happy, hardworking, friendly reverent and perfectly obedient -- and I’ll have the reputation as a Super Saint!”  Don’t get me wrong -- having great children is a very noble goal and we should try our best.  But in the meantime, life goes on!   As fervently as we desire to see our children mature, and as much as we rejoice when they do take a few steps in that direction, we just can’t look to them and their progress as our sole source of satisfaction and meaning in life.

 

The one thing that will satisfy our hungry souls is a deep and abiding relationship with our Gracious Creator.  Despite our own sin, our grumbling and our shame, the Holy Father stooped to redeem us lowly ones through the sacrifice of his Son, Jesus Christ, the only perfect child to ever walk the face of this earth.  Our souls will find rest and strength in him alone.  It is he who will give us the courage and endurance to keep pressing on.  It is he who can open our hearts wide so we can truly be THANKFUL for his grace, no matter what is happening around us, all year long. 

 

“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 

 

“Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” 1 Corinthians 15:58

 

“One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.  For in the day of trouble    he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock.”  Psalm 27:4-5

 

 

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THANKSGIVING FOR THE HEART

compiled by Virginia Knowles

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THANKSGIVING IN THE BIBLE

 

The original harvest thanksgiving feast in the Bible: “Celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days after you have gathered the produce of your threshing floor and your winepress. Be joyful at your Feast--you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants, and the Levites, the aliens, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns. For seven days celebrate the Feast to the LORD your God at the place the LORD will choose. For the LORD your God will bless you in all your harvest and in all the work of your hands, and your joy will be complete.”  Deuternomony 16:13-15 

Other Scripture verses with a thankful theme include: Psalm 28:7; Psalm 100; Ephesians 5:4 & 20; Philippians 4:6; Colossians 1:11-12; 1 Thessalonians 5:18; 1 Timothy 2:1 & 4:4; and Revelation 7:12. 

 

A PURITAN PRAYER

 

“Blessed Creator, may I hold life loosely in my hand, knowing that I receive it on condition of its surrender... Make me a happy, holy person.  Teach me to laud, adore and magnify Thee with the music of heaven, and make me a perfume of gratitude to Thee.”   Puritan prayer

 

A TREE OF THANKSGIVING

 

Over the years, many Hope Chest readers have written in to describe a special craft project they do in the month of November.  There are many variations, but here is the basic theme.  They mount a large paper tree on the wall, and provide each family member with several paper leaves in autumn colors.  Each person can write down items for which he or she is thankful on autumn-colored paper leaves which are then attached to the tree.  On Thanksgiving, all of the leaves are read so everyone can hear testimonies of gratitude to God!

 

HYMNS

 

“Come, Ye Thankful People, Come” is a hymn written by Henry Alford (1810-1871). I believe that the Harvest Home holiday is the British equivalent of our American Thanksgiving.  

 

“Come, ye thankful people, come,

Raise the song of harvest home;

All is safely gathered in,

‘Ere the winter storms begin.

God our Maker doth provide

For our wants to be supplied;

Come to God’s own temple, come,

Raise the song of harvest home!”

 

You can find the lyrics, piano scores, and audio files for many hymns at the Hymn Site.  Thanksgiving hymns will be prominently featured until November 25, and then they will switch to Advent hymns!   http://www.hymnsite.com/  Though it isn’t listed with their Thanksgiving hymns, you can also look up “For the Beauty of the Earth” at the hymn site.  Another gem you might find in a hymnal is “Bringing in the Sheaves.”

 

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HOLIDAY RECIPES

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HOLIDAY WASSAIL 

 

My friend Kelly Balagia served this wassail at a Rubies & Roses (mother/daughter) tea party several years ago.   We made it for Thanksgiving, my husband said it was his favorite, and one of my young daughters asked for some more “weasel.”  It is now a Thanksgiving and Christmas standard in our house.  I must confess that I tampered with the recipe [as noted with brackets], but it still turns out great. 

• 64 oz. apple cider  [or plain apple juice]
• 1 pint cranberry juice [or cran-raspberry]
• 4-6 tbs. white sugar
• 3 cinnamon sticks [or several liberal shakes of ground cinnamon]
• 1 tsp. allspice
• 1/2 orange covered with whole cloves  [1 tsp. ground cloves and 1/2 cup orange juice] 

 

Heat for about 30 minutes on medium in a large stock pot.  Serve in mugs.

 

STREUSEL MUFFINS 

 

(Grunberg Haus, Waterbury-Stowe, Vermont)  

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 tbs. pumpkin pie spice (or allspice)
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/2 cup oil (scant)
• 2 cups peeled chopped Macintosh apples

 

Streusel topping  - cut together:

• 4 tsp. butter
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

 

Combine dry ingredients, stir well.   Combine wet ingredients.  Mix both together until just moist.  Take care not to over mix.  Scoop batter into 18 greased or paper-lined muffin cups, leaving a little room for the topping.   Top with streusel.  Bake at 350º for 30-35 minutes.

 

SERVING CRANBERRY SAUCE

 

To serve canned cranberry sauce without mangling the contents, open one end of the can fully.  Then turn it over and open just about an inch from the other end.  The release in suction will enable the sauce to slide right out of the can in one piece.  If you are short on flat space for your buffet area, but need a few cans of cranberry sauce out, here’s a way to save space while still making it easy to dish it out onto plates.  Slice the sauce a can at a time.  Then layer the slices in a spiral into a round or squarish casserole dish.  Keep going round and round until it’s all in there!  I did this for our home school co-op’s Thanksgiving feast one year.

 

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HANDLING FAMILY ISSUES DURING THE HOLIDAYS

Written in November 2003 by Virginia Knowles

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As Thanksgiving and Christmas approach, I realize that not all of us get along well with their relatives, and I would like to encourage you with a few ideas to make the best of family gatherings.  

 

o    Communicate ahead of time what each person expects during the visit. What will you be doing? Who will you visit? Who will stay where? Who is going to pay for what? Who is providing food, and what kind? Are there any special diets or restrictions on treats? Are there any guidelines about acceptable gifts or spending limits? "The wise in heart are called discerning, and pleasant words promote instruction. Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. " Proverbs 16:21, 24  

 

o   Prepare for conflict about varying lifestyles. Some people may criticize your decision to home school or how you raise your children. I have found that the best approach to this is to be confident and pleasant about how we live, and not get into unnecessary conflicts about how other people live. Smile! If a conversation gets a little too heated, change the subject or quietly leave the room. "Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone." Colossians 4:5-6  

 

o   Be aware of the "emotional baggage" that each person might bring into a situation. Our past relationships with those we are visiting can affect our present relationships of those we bring with us. Do you or your spouse revert to old patterns when you go "home" to your family of origin? Is this a good thing? Talk about this ahead of time -- sweetly, of course! "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland." Isaiah 43:18-19

 

o   Discuss ahead of time how you will deal with your children's misbehavior. First of all, you can prevent much of this with proper rest, regular meals, and advance training. If you are visiting a house that is filled with people, you may need to come up with creative solutions for privately dealing with an unpleasant situation. "The quiet words of the wise are more to be heeded than the shouts of a ruler of fools." Ecclesiastes 9:17 

 

o   Remember that wherever you go and whoever you see, if you are a disciple of Jesus Christ, then you must seek to honor him in whatever you do and say. "We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. 2 Corinthians 5:20. 

 

o   Be flexible if things don't work out as you have planned. Your children might get sick, your car might break down, you may get snowed in. God is still in control! How you respond to challenging situations will be a powerful example to your children, for better or for worse! "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him." James 1:2-5