As we all have experienced, a picture (and I'll extend that to other visuals as well) can say a thousand words. Another idea for Thanksgiving is to ask each guest to bring to Thanksgiving dinner a picture or any other item related to a memory they have of Thanksgiving--or to a family story about Thanksgiving. For those people who don't have a picture or item related specifically to Thanksgiving, they can bring something related to the topic of giving thanks. Dinnertime can then be a time to go around the table and have each person tell about the picture or item they brought. Again, don't forget to have a camcorder or audio recorder going if possible--or at least someone taking notes--because during this exercise you'll be sharing memories, but making them as well. And don't worry if there are guests at the dinner who are not family. It's a fun way to learn more about friends and their families as well. Below is a Thanksgiving "visual" that I plan to share this year. I found it when I was cleaning out one of my drawers. It's a note that my youngest daughter gave to me and my husband at Thanksgiving, when she was 6 years old. She's 23 now.  |
