The Thanksgiving Tree

Speaking of weird things we do in our family (yesterday's post) ...it's not all about favorite forks, signs on the door and cinnamon rolls every Sunday. We also have lots of little things we do over the holidays...places we go, stuff we eat...that are unique to our family.

Today, as I am typing this, it's the first day of November, and the first day we put up our "Thanksgiving Tree" every year. This is a family tradition that we started when the kids were little, after I read about the idea in a magazine.

Or maybe my friend, Paula, read about it and told me...not sure. Can't remember.

Ours is just a brown construction paper "trunk," taped on the wall...and multi-colored construction paper leaves that I cut out...I just used a random leaf from our yard as the pattern. When the kids were little, we would let them write (or have us write for them) at least one thing each day they were thankful for on a leaf, and we would tape them to the wall...and by Thanksgiving, the wall is full of reminders of God's blessings in our lives.

The Thanksgiving Tree.

Of course, I will have to add that now that the kids are bigger, my attempts to be serious and thankful sometimes get overshadowed by 3 of the 4 kids trying to out-do each other...and one of the ways they do that is with our Thanksgiving Tree. Each child has a "leaf" with their name on it...I wrote it on there because I am thankful for each of them. Well, the kids are constantly removing each other's leaves, or putting their own leaf at the top and their siblings leaves at the bottom...or even UNDER the Thanksgiving Tree. Last year, I came in and Clark had moved Logan's leaf to a complete other wall.

And along with things like "Heaven" and "my church," they will put things on the Thanksgiving Tree like "dragon heart strings" and "deez nuts" (sorry, I have 3 boys) and various other things that gross boys will say to get laughter out of their brothers and Dad...or a huge reaction out of their sister and MOM.

Just keepin' it real.

This year, I am using The Big Board in my kitchen for our Thanksgiving Tree. The Big Board is something Jim made for me several years ago. I don't remember where the actual frame came from, but he framed cork instead of glass. It is home to all of the photo cards we get at Christmas. We keep the pictures up on it until November 1st every year, and then I take them down and file them away...and get The Big Board ready for the new crop of cards we will get this year! When Clark came home yesterday, he said, "cool, the Thanksgiving Tree is up." And then he proceeded to move a leaf with the words "the Bible" on it...to the very top.

"MOM, it's the WORD OF GOD. It should go at the top...sheesh."

Then, when Holly and Aaron came over this morning, SHE added some things to the tree...and then moved the leaf that had Clark's name on it wayyyyyy down to the bottom.

See what I mean?

And when Clark came in and saw what she had done, he took his leaf and put it OVER her leaf...so you can't even see her name.

Perfect.

So it's on like Donkey Kong...

It will only get worse when Logan comes home from college for Thanksgiving break.

I can't wait!

"Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good..." 1 Chronicles 16: 34