It seems that Thanksgiving and Christmas come awfully close together. Both are wonderful holidays, but there is always a rush to get done with Thanksgiving and move quickly into the Christmas season. Source Credit: toptenplus.com Source Credit: toptenplus.com

In 1863, when Abraham Lincoln declared the last Thursday in November as a national day to thank God for our blessings and bring praise to Him, life was simpler, and the holidays were much less commercialized. These days we see nativities and Santa Clauses mixed in with pumpkins and turkeys.

Holidays are a great time to celebrate family and solidify family traditions. So it is worth every effort to involve our grandchildren in what goes on. As you make the transition from Thanksgiving to Christmas this year, here are a few questions you may want to answer for your family.

Why?

You definitely want to honor all the holidays and develop traditions that make them memorable. Thanksgiving is a time for family to gather around a meal and catch up on the events of the year, to enjoy just being together.

As President Lincoln said it is a time of “Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.” Isn’t that something you can do daily?

Teach your grandchildren to thank God for family, shelter, food, friends. Point out those things in a casual environment and help thankfulness become a way of life for your grandkids.

Conversation Starters with your Grandkids:

  • What are you most thankful for?
  • Why should we take time to express our thanks?
  • What are we most thankful for during the Christmas season?

Where?

This is the beauty of transitioning. You can make that transition anywhere and everywhere. All around you are things to be thankful for as you watch the season go from fall to winter, Thanksgiving to Christmas. Help your grandchildren see that life is a series of transitions that make life meaningful and full.

Conversation Starters with your Grandkids:

  • What do you see all around you?
  • How are the stores decorated?
  • How does that affect us as a family?

How?

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Although these holidays seem to crowd each other, one easily flows into the other. As you talk about family and your thankfulness for each person, your conversation can easily flow into thankfulness for God’s gift to us, Jesus, and the celebration of his birth.

 

Conversation Starters with your Grandkids:

  • What is a special way we could celebrate Christmas?
  • Can you think of someone that needs a special visit during the Christmas season?
  • What could you do to share the spirit of Christmas with others?

As holidays change, look for ways the transition can become a time of coming closer together as a family. Take advantage of teachable moments and make them a time of celebration.

What other conversations can you start based on gratitude and shared memories? 

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