Thanksgiving is perfect for family stories month

I don’t think it is a coincidence that November is Family Stories Month. And what a great time to take advantage of this age-old tradition! With time passing so fast and the fact that the media seems to assault us with bad news at every turn, it’s about time we did something to make ourselves more three-dimensional people to our family and loved ones—and to show that we, too, have a story to tell.

Family Legacy
And “shooting the breeze” is not only lots of fun, but it can help to create a type of heritage and just might become a must-do occasion for every Thanksgiving, at the very least. And don’t for one minute think that children do not have stories to tell. Invite everyone young and old into the mix and you will be surprised at what you hear from the “mouths of babes.”

Liars Club
To help spark the tradition you can really do something fun. Did you know that there is a liars’ club? Yes, a very famous one at that. The Burlington Liars Club of Wisconsin has an annual championship lie contest every year. I particularly like the lie that was told by the 2007 winner: Greg Peck, an editorial page editor for the Janesville Gazette told a one-liner involving the Wisconsin River, which he said: “was so low this year that the local government started taxing us for more property on our riverfront lot.” The men can tell big fish, golfing, or sports lies, and the ladies I’m sure can dish on the colorful locals in the neighborhood. Giving everyone an excuse to tell a whopping good lie—clever or not—is a fun way to break the ice to more meaningful conversation.

Another Method
If you can’t go the telling-a-tale route, you can always help spark storytelling with the “I remember when” lead-in. Even children with short histories have their own sort of memories to share. Try to be encouraging and stress that everyone has something important to say; we often think our experiences aren’t worth telling but given some airing, these short stories are real glimpses into what’s going on in the lives of our closest friends. So often children too, forget that their parents had lives before them!

Be Thankful
Another way to jumpstart family stories is a have a box, some notepaper and a pencil nearby. While dinner is cooking, when the football game is on, or when the kids are at a craft table, remind them to take the time to jot down what they are really thankful for and put their messages into the box throughout the day. During dinner you can pass the box and have everyone read a slip of paper, while you try to guess who the writer may be. (I hope this little exercise brings about some good revelations for you and your family.)

About that Craft Box
Holidays really are special for children with all the family goings-on, the shopping, extra cooking or baking, the hustling of adults in gear. Why not set aside some time to put together a craft box or project for kids to work on over Thanksgiving weekend? A simple project is to make leaves. There are leaf templates you can find at the Family Fun magazine site, but they are very easy to create anyway. Include colored construction paper, pencils, colored pens, safety scissors, sequins, beads, and glue sticks; twine and a hole punch. Let children cut out leaves and decorate them with names, beads or any of the supplies. Once completed, give them a hole punch and string together in a garland. For longer lasting décor you can even let them use the felted paper or real felt (then attach with fabric glue or even a few simple sewing stitches.) Hang it in a prominent place to make them feel a definite principal in the festivities. That’s what it’s all about anyway—isn’t it?