Include the Outdoors in Your Thanksgiving Traditions

So the BIG day is just around the corner!  In three days we will be gathering around the table to enjoy a delicious turkey dinner with family and friends. My little ones are getting excited about the upcoming holiday. We are hosting Thanksgiving dinner and our family members will be starting to arrive on Wednesday. The preparations for the feast started on Saturday with silver polishing, meal planning, grocery list making and centerpiece creating. Now the hustle and bustle begins with grocery shopping, cooking, ironing, setting, baking and everything else I am forgetting to add to the list.

It always takes so much effort to prepare a feast that lasts for an hour (15 minutes for the kids). But it's about more than just the eating --- it's about family, creating memories, relaxing and enjoying a delicious meal that was lovingly and thoughtfully prepared and being thankful for all that you have and have been given. I have been hosting Thanksgiving for the last three years and with each year my meal and timing improve (I think) but I am still having trouble with the gravy. Thank goodness my Mom is always there to save it from being a total flop.

Thanksgiving is a time of tradition. One of our favorite family traditions is to go for an stroll after Thanksgiving dinner. It's usually dark, but but we arm ourselves with flashlights and go anyway. There is something about taking a walk in the brisk air that keeps you from feeling like a big lug after the meal. On clear nights we look to skies to enjoy the sight of the moon and stars. In the arc of the light from the flash lights, we see leaves blowing across the road and sometimes a raccoon or fox scurrying into the woods, if we are lucky.

Some families play football or go to watch a football game, some go hunting and others go for a hike or run in a turkey trot. How does your family include the outdoors in your Thanksgiving tradition? Instead of passing out on the couch and watching television, why not get everyone together do something outside this year?  What better way is there to continue the tradition of our forefathers then to connect with nature and create a new family tradition.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. Enjoy!