As usual, I’m preaching to my own heart, and I hope my thoughts will encourage you, too. I believe God has equipped us to use our homes as an incredible place for ministry, and even when we’re not hosting, we can offer hospitality that reflects God’s heart. I know if we yield our plans to Him, He will be faithful to work in and through us… and quite possibly make this the best Thanksgiving ever!
Drop all your expectations.
Whoosh, this one hurts a little. But let’s do it together. Think for a minute about all the things you think Thanksgiving MUST HAVE, and then let them go. What?! I love me a decked-out table, some fresh greenery, and allll the candles. You, too? But guess what? They’re not a requirement! Actually, even pretty matching paper plates and napkins aren’t needed for a glorious holiday celebration.
Psalm 131:1 says this: “O LORD, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes haughty; Nor do I involve myself in great matters, Or in things too difficult for me. Surely I have composed and quieted my soul;
Like a weaned child rests against his mother, My soul is like a weaned child within me. “ Now, I know the psalmist wasn’t talking about wanting a table that’s too fancy or being stressed about having the perfect mashed potatoes (lumps? no lumps? sour cream and garlic or no?), but this verse has spoken to me many times over the years. I am a dreamer and I have high artistic notions for life and holidays and everything in between. My Father takes great joy in my being settled in His presence. So I want to encourage us both, reader – let’s make a pact to plan for beauty and deliciousness, but be joy-FILLED with reality – because we have the One who walks with us through the good and the imperfect.
Raise your hopes.
It’s all fun, but we can look way past Hallmark Movies, holiday baking competitions, Black Friday and even Christmas tree shopping. 🙂 So while we need to let go of the things that might not matter eternally, we can and should look at holidays as an opportunity to show extra grace. Plan in advance for ways to initiate meaningful conversation. Look for opportunities to speak blessing over those you eat, cook, and clean up with. Anticipate in advance how you’ll navigate potential relationship “moments…” you know, the ones that require undeserved kindness (for yourself and the other person!).
Give your holiday to God.
And on that note, let’s lean hard into Him this holiday season. 1 Chronicles 16:23-26 says: “Sing to the Lord, all the earth; proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples. For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the Lord made the heavens.”
God is the giver of celebrations and feasts, and He invites us to celebrate so that we might remember who He is and what He has done throughout history and in our own personal story. He invites us to celebrate what He WILL do in the days and years and centuries to come. A few thoughts on ways to do this:
- Meditate on scripture before your day gets rolling. (Look at this fantastic list of scriptures to celebrate this Thanksgiving from Country Living!)
- Journal before bed or just after waking – writing out what you’re thankful for helps to set your mind in a proper place to face the moments of the day (good and hard!).
- Pray as you cook. A friend recently shared the best idea for praying over the people in your family as you do their laundry. What if you actually intentionally prayed for each person who would share the meal, as you prepared it? What if you prayed for each one you knew especially loved a dish, or thanked God in specific ways for the person who shared a certain recipe! If you’re not the prepare-er? Pray for those who do the cooking – that they’ll be blessed for their time and enjoy the meal as much as you will!
- SING! Put on an instrumental worship station (here is my current favorite instrumental worship playlist, and here’s my youngest son’s favorite instrumental worship artist) and sing and dance your way through the day.
Nourish yourself.
- Go to bed. Ugh, I needed to type that, and read that, and now DO THAT. When we don’t get enough rest (and science says it’s best when we get on it before 11pm), we often don’t have the stores to be patient, kind, and gentle.
- Get up a teensy bit earlier. Light a candle and make a hot drink and enjoy the quiet before the day gets rolling and responsibilities kick in. Take a brisk walk and stretch your legs – breathe in the fresh air before you fill your nostrils with the aroma of butter and herbs. 🙂 It’s so much easier to do the must-do’s when we have a few minutes of calm first!
- Drink water and eat something.
- Save time to get ready.
- Get your face in the Word. My dad has modeled this for me for decades, and I so want to be a girl after his heart (and my Father’s heart…). I want to be truth-filled so it’s what springs to mind when squabbles arise, family history revisits in a less-than-pleasant way, or mine or others’ shortcomings get in the way of sweet memory-making. I want to be filled with
Be an invite-er.
This year for the first time, we will celebrate a holiday as guests in our married son and his bride’s home. They may be shaking in their boots, but they’ve courageously invited mom and dad, two siblings, three grandparents, an aunt and two cousins, and a Coast Guard friend who can’t make it home for the holiday. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate adulthood than to throw open the doors to your tiny military base house, borrow some folding chairs, and celebrate. Who do you know who might appreciate an invite to join you for dinner or just dessert? Who can you “invite” into your life by dropping a card in their mailbox just to say, “thank you for being you?”
Say YES to help!
You know how to have the best Thanksgiving ever? For real? Let everyone help!!
Maybe it’s your mom-in-law’s offer to chop the veggies or make her favorite side. It could be a young cousin wanting to help roll the pie crust or your toddler who wants to make “name tags.” Maybe your neighbor offers to help with dishes. Maybe it’s that you were invited to someone else’s home altogether! Whatever it is, brush off that tendency to try to look like you’ve got holiday-ing down like a food-show-host, say “yes!” with enthusiasm, and watch the fellowship grow sweeter. And from the trenches here: if no one offers? ASK. Trust me. Having lived through many stressful holidays that didn’t have to be so, it’s so much more loving to ask for a hand than to try to go it alone, and hide irritation and resentment while you do.
Make something yummy.
- Make a family heritage dish, a healthy dish, and a really decadent dessert or side if you want. I love having a few fresh, bright elements to complement the heavier traditional dishes, like Paleo Running Mama’s homemade cranberry sauce or my autumn quinoa salad with sweet potatoes, cherries & walnuts, or blackberry brie spinach salad. (Try making that spinach salad the next day and throw leftover turkey on top! Way better than most leftovers.)
- Make what you can in advance! Try these instant-pot mashed sweet potatoes or make my family’s “party potatoes” (I’m almost embarrassed to share, but they demand them for Christmas and Thanksgiving, always!) Serious, here. I’ve tried making real mashed potatoes. I had to make these also. The recipe was handed from both my daughter and my sister-in-law to my son’s wife when they wed. My other son texted me just the other day for the recipe to share at Friendsgiving. It’s a thing.
- Clear extra space! My mom-in-law swears by her roaster. It clears up valuable oven space when you use it to make turkey, ham, or a huge casserole. This combination roaster/smoker/slow-cooker (SMOKER?!!!) is calling to me, and just might be worth the storage space needed….
Soak it in, and enjoy Thanksgiving… because we have been given MUCH to be thankful for. <3
Inspiring (grateful) welcome,
Angela
AND, just in case you do want to set a lovely table, here are a few resources for you! 😉
There are AWESOME practical food-related Thanksgiving tips here at Southern Living. One of my favorites? Set the table the day before!
Sweet and soulful (also practical!) ideas for Thanksgiving from Club31 Women will be a great inspiration.
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