How Will You Spend Thanksgiving Day?

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day in the United States, a day where millions of Americans express gratitude to God for their blessings. Here are some thoughts about gratitude and thanksgiving.

“And if ye seek the riches which it is the will of the Father to give unto you, ye shall be the richest of all people, for ye shall have the riches of eternity; and it must needs be that the riches of the earth are mine to give; but beware of pride, lest ye become as the Nephites of old” (Doctrine and Covenants 38:39).

“Most of us think of pride as self-centeredness, conceit, boastfulness, arrogance, or haughtiness. All of these are elements of the sin, but the heart, or core, is still missing. The central feature of pride is enmity – enmity toward God and enmity toward our fellowmen. Enmity means ‘hatred toward, hostility to, or a state of opposition.’ It is the power by which Satan wishes to reign over us” (Ezra Taft Benson). 

This site has a family home evening lesson about Thanksgiving Day. It includes a video telling the history of Thanksgiving appropriate for older children, teens, and adults as well as a cute video of children telling the story of Thanksgiving. 

If you want to make Thanksgiving more than a day to feast until you enter a food coma, try this site for twenty-five traditions to increase reflection and expression of gratitude. There are active Thanksgiving, arts and crafts Thanksgiving traditions, food and cooking Thanksgiving traditions, nature and outdoor Thanksgiving traditions, reflection and gratitude Thanksgiving traditions, and service Thanksgiving traditions.