by Annie Milionis, Penn State Master Gardener and Master Watershed Steward, Morrisville Bird Town PA Coordinator
As we approach the bustling holiday season it is important to remember what is truly important and make plans that bring family and friends together to share in memory-making events.
Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to engage with family and friends and not just at the dining table on the fourth Thursday of November! Invite children, family and friends into the kitchen to help make dishes during the days leading up to the big meal. Teach kids how to plan a meal of this size. Let them make suggestions for dishes to include; have them help shop, and when appropriate, have them prepare a dish for the big meal.
Healthy traditions are important. They help ground us, connect us to one another- across generations, to those who came before us and will follow after us. A great tradition is to make a centerpiece from cuttings from your yard and garden and cherished family pieces.
Give each family member the opportunity to help gather items for the centerpiece. This can be done several days beforehand. Make some Thanksgiving crafts at the beginning of the month, weeks before the big day, and incorporate these handcrafted items into your décor around the house or for each place setting at the table on Thanksgiving Day.
Get a jump start on the December holidays by doing a craft project for December while you have everyone together for Thanksgiving. Linger around the table to share family stories and good-natured banter. Engage with one another and take the time to appreciate the blessings of family and friends, those present with you, those unable to be there, and those remembered.
What makes the season truly memorable is the spirit of giving; giving of one’s time, actions of purpose, and sharing. During November participate as a family or with friends in a food drive or Thanksgiving meal package preparation and distribution at one of our local churches, other places of worship, or food pantries.
In our area we can still plant shrubs and trees often into November, sometimes even into December. Prep the ground now, well before the big day, for a small native plant garden right outside of an often-viewed window. Gather everyone attending Thanksgiving meal, and have them help plant that garden area with native shrubs. If possible, include a native male and female Winterberry, an evergreen Inkberry, a couple of Blueberry bushes, two different Elderberry varieties or a native Viburnum. This can be a terrific multi-generational family project that will continue to provide opportunities for families to share in activities throughout the year and for many years to come, as well as provide great memories. Remember to plant the right plant in the right place (best soil, light, space and water conditions for the variety of plant{s} being installed).
During the December holiday season give a family present of bird feeders and bird food to set-up a bird feeding station in the native plant area planted at Thanksgiving. This will provide hours of observation, spur conversation, and provide numerous learning opportunities in which families, partners, or friends can share and engage.
In this busy, changing, hustle bustle world, it is easy to get caught up in all sorts of things, including the many distractions. We need to stop and remind ourselves of what is truly important and make the changes necessary to refocus on those people and things that should be the center of our lives, such as family, friends, pets, home, and community.
We all have people and circumstances or things for which we are thankful! We should be thankful each day of our lives, for nothing is promised. It is all a gift and isn’t it wonderful that as a nation we have a special day set aside to celebrate and give thanks for all our individual and collective blessings!