Guest post by Ken McCoy and Rick Bundschuh
Okay, we all know what the holiday will be like. Lots of food, football on television, odd ancient relatives with more hair coming out of their ears than on their head, and, between the kisses from over-perfumed aunties, lots of boredom.
But did you ever think that maybe this holiday YOU could make a difference on the enjoyment meter?
We know that the tendency is for you to disappear into your own world on your smartphone or portable computer thingy, or just hang with your dopy cousins and be bored together. So, these ideas will help make your Thanksgiving the best one you’ve ever experienced and endear you to your family members.
- Ask older people to tell you stories about their life. What was living on a farm like? What was life like for you during the war? What was it like to use a pay phone? How was being a teenager in those days different than today? Did you really see the Beatles play live? etc. You might find hidden treasure sitting on your living room sofa!
- Be the designated photographer. Shoot photos of family members – especially the ones you don’t see often. Get everyone’s e-mail address and email copies of your photos to everyone.
- Clear the table, do the dishes, take out the trash – but do it intentionally. Recast yourself as the “Busboy” – you’re trying to BLESS the adults, so take the initiative and get things cleaned up before anyone can even ask to do it. You’ll be amazed at how much fun you can have doing these kinds of chores with a go-for-it attitude!
- If someone beats you to the Busboy job, then you choose to be the “Waiter” or “Waitress.” Refill people’s drinks, bring out more appetizers, ask whether anyone needs anything… all the actions that good waiter or waitress would do to earn a tip – but you do it to bless everyone else!
- If people will be watching football, volunteer to make things a little more interesting. Here’s an idea to try: take “bets” on the game (not just win/lose, but maybe point spread, or will this next play be a run or a pass, etc.) Figure out a way to track the standings of the participants. The grand winner gets his or her car washed by you!
- Organize some Thanksgiving games for the little kids. The adults will think you’re a hero! Here are some ideas: Pin the Tail on the Turkey; Turkey Trivia (You can find Thanksgiving trivia or quizzes online); Create a flag-football game with the little kids that you play in the backyard.
- Play “Marco-Turkey” – it’s like “Marco Polo” that you play in a swimming pool, but you play this in the garage or smaller roped off area. Blindfold one “Pilgrim” who has to tag the “turkeys” (the other kids who are crawling around on all fours.)
When you do some or all these ideas, you’ll transform your Thanksgiving experience. You’ll probably discover that the best part of the holiday has nothing to do with feasting, turkey, football, or cranberries. You’ll discover the joy of blessing others, of connecting with family, and of making lifetime memories.
Happy Thanksgiving!
NOTE TO YOUTH LEADERS: Use what you have here to encourage your students to turn their Thanksgiving experience into an opportunity to bless their families. You can copy/paste these ideas into a series of texts that you send your students or post this whole thing on your youth ministry website, or even use the text to create a cool flyer that you hand out to the group. Click here to download these ideas as a PDF.
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