Thanksgiving Week Thoughts and Printables

This week, many of us in the United States will be welcoming friends and family to our homes for Thanksgiving Day. Those of us who don't will hopefully be celebrating the holiday at the home of a friend or family member (unless they'd just like to hang out and chill on their own -- and that's something for which to be thankful, too!)

What are your holiday traditions? Are certain foods must-haves? Are you navigating the vegan Thanksgiving with that of the carnivores? Do you wish that once the morning parades were over, the television would break for the next ten hours?

I've read a couple of great posts on the history of Thanksgiving, posts that provide food for thought. Mae of Mae Food says, "For this and other reasons, besides enjoying the cooking and consuming of a traditional turkey dinner with family next week, I will think about the real history of the "Pilgrims" and their relationship to the natives of Massachusetts." (To find out what "for this" is, check out her post!)

Anne Clare of The Naptime Author is doing a guest post trade on A Bit About Britain. (A Bit About Britain writer Mike Biles is over at Anne's, writing about the fascinating history of Bletchley Park, instrumental in helping the Allies win World War II.

In a fascinating post that outlines not only the history of Thanksgiving but how and why the Pilgrims got to Massachusetts in the first place, and why Thanksgiving skips around on the calendar, Anne says, "In the end, though, I think the one thing we all hope for—the one thing that we know we need to hold on to, even if sometimes we forget—is the spirit of the day that we see in those Pilgrims who’d suffered and struggled and still rejoiced. It’s a day to stop, and reflect, to look at the blessings around us and to Give Thanks."

I hope you click over and read both of those. (And Mike's too -- three of my favorite wonderful writers.)

The images in this post are from my vintage postcard collection (and who knows, maybe one or two I downloaded over the years.) I share them here so you can use them as you like. Here are some ideas:

• Print them as place cards for your table
• Print on cardstock and cut out the details. Post on small skewers or toothpicks for party picks or cupcake decorations.
• Drop them into an email invitation or reminder to a friend who's coming for dinner (don't forget your pie!)
• Copy and send to friends far away and remind them that you are thankful for their role in your life, even if they are far away on the day.

Good luck on your holiday preparations!

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