OK, so let's not stress. We have grocery shopping to complete, a house to get clean, and children to turn into little angels before Thursday. No worries. We can do this. Right?
OK, so maybe there's reason for a little stress. I can't help you with the shopping or cleaning, so let me help with those little dev...I mean angels. No, we can't completely transform a caterpillar into a butterfly in three days, but these helpful hints will surely get you started. Let's review with our children the following to ensure a happy, joyful and as little embarrassment as possible at the Thanksgiving Dinner Table.
- Take a gift to the host. Whether it's your grandmother, your aunt, or a friend, whose home you are visiting for Thanksgiving, make sure everyone has a small token of appreciation in hand. The children actually really enjoy this. It can be a flower, a candle, a special treat or really anything. It's a polite way to show our loved ones how much we appreciate them helping our holidays become special memories.
- Make sure everyone is dressed appropriately. Thanksgiving is special. It's a meal that we usually bring out the best china and the linen napkins, and we ensure that the table looks beautiful. To honor such a special occasion, the children should reflect the attitude of the day with appropriate dress. I'm not saying they need to be in their church clothes, but definitely, "dressy casual."
- It's not polite to ever announce that we don't like something at the dinner table, but it is especially rude when we are a guest in someone's home. Let's remind our whole family that absolutely never, never announce our dislikes when we are a guest. The polite way to handle turning down food that we do not care for is simply, "No thank you."
- Find ways to compliment the host (cook). It's really not easy to prepare a Thanksgiving meal with all the "fixins." Let's give our children an assignment on Thanksgiving, that they have to "hand out" at least 5 sincere compliments on this special day (2 of them going towards the host). This will be a great challenge that will be fun to discuss at the end of the day.
- Finally, send thank you cards. This is a great occasion to allow our children to practice the art of sending thank you cards. The day after Thanksgiving, have the whole family sit down and write a little note of appreciation to the host of Thanksgiving. The host is probably in the bed, recuperating, and will surely appreciate the gesture.
Sincerely,
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