November: It’s the month that whips by in a whirl. Some want to skip November entirely and rush right onto Christmas. I must admit, I have that urge too, but I want to be intentional about each, month, holiday and season so November traditions must not be skipped! There is much one can do this month. You can look at it as preparation to the most wonderful holiday of the year. (okay that’s just my opinion) Thanksgiving is one day, yes, but then so is Halloween and Christmas, so let’s try to stretch the month like we do for Christmas. Ready for some ideas?
- Read Picture Books related to Thanksgiving and the early winter/late fall season. As always I have a stack of picture books about gratitude, Thanksgiving, fall and winter. I try to read aloud 2 to 3 books each week to my daughters. Its funny how the same books read over and over each year can bring everyone together. I find that even if I try and read these same books without my oldest, who is fifteen, she will be upset. So as tradition calls for it, I make sure everyone is present and for about 20 minutes I read our seasonal picture books.
2. Take a Fall Photoshoot. You know me and my obsession with decorating and taking pictures so naturally this will be on there.
3. Celebrate All Souls Day. This is a good time to celebrate and learn about your family history. Make a meal that is of your heritage, break out pictures, journals and letters. Decorate a table for the occasion. Although we are not of Mexican heritage, we watched on of our favorite movies “Coco” and ate leftover tacos and Halloween candy.
4. Make Caramel Apples after Halloween, This is a sweet treat to look forward to after all the hustle and bustle of Halloween.
5. Cozy up to some good movies. we watched “Ratatouille” because its all about food and we are just prepping for our food coma that is Thanksgiving. Don’t forget the Peanuts Movies, they have 2 Thanksgiving movies to watch.
6. Make A Cranberry Garland and popcorn garland. This has been on bucket list forever….I’m not sure why it intimidates me so, but I vow this will be the year!
7. Celebrate Martinmas: Martinmas is held on November 11th. It is considered the Old Halloween and marks the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter. Saint Martin was soldier who was known to give a beggar half of his coat to protect the man from a frozen death. Later Martin became a bishop and spent his life helping the poor and needy. This is more commonly celebrated in Germany speaking lands. Goose is eaten as well as root veggies and wine. Children parade about with lanterns, while singing traditional songs. Today we can celebrate by remembering the poor and choose a way to serve them. We can also create a warm stew before taking an evening stroll in the woods with lit lanterns in hands. We did this as a family 2 years ago, making paper mache lanterns before the journey; it was such fun.
8. Write hand written love letters to your family to tell them how grateful you are to them. Tis the season of gratitude and what better way to express it, than to the ones you love most.
9. Read a good book. This November, the tea time book club is reading “On The Edge of The Darl Sea of Darkness.” Enter a whole new world where giant lizards roam the earth and dragons swim the sea. Three siblings share a journey together. This is a family read aloud for us, so its going slower than expected, but I am really enjoying the story so far! Check me out @mybookstramlife on Instagram for more details of our group discussion on this book.
This wraps up my post about Thanksgiving and traditions. I hope you found something unique and fun. Traditions don’t have to be big to be special, they don’t even have to be yearly, its about creating memories that bind us together and keep our hearts warm and fuzzy. Please share some your favorite Thanksgiving traditions.
Tea Time Book Club 