Tag Archives: Thanksgiving

Suggestions for a Prayerful Thanksgiving 2024 (Revised, with Multi-Faith Components) By James DiLuzio, CSP

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How can we make THANKSGIVING a truly prayerful AND joyful day for everyone?  Here are suggestions — you cannot possibly observe them all! — but use them as a springboard for your own ideas. Choosing between these activities needs to be a prayerful experience, so allow some space for quiet time, placing all your anticipated guests in your heart and mind before you look through these selections. Pray with them and let your own spirit be inspired!

THE WEEK BEFORE THANKSGIVING

  1. Invite your guests to reflect upon these Two Questions:
  1. What is your best and worst memory of Thanksgiving?
  • How might you turn both experiences into a prayer for this year? Write your own prayer.

Invite your guests to write their answers on an index card or postcard (or in an email) for their own personal reflection as they anticipate Thanksgiving Day. And- IF THEY ARE COMFORTABLE DOING SO – have them bring their card or printed email to the dinner. Let your guests know that you will invite everyone to share what they wrote as people gather, partake in Hors D’oeuvres, and settle in for the day.

DINNER CONVERSATION option # 1. Throughout the meal, each person will be asked to take what they wrote as their BEST OF MEAL and answer one of the following:

  • FOR CHRISTIANS: How were these “Best of Thanksgiving Meals” like or unlike a Eucharist or Lord’s Supper?
  • FOR JEWS: How were these “Best of Thanksgiving Meals” like or unlike Passover or Sukkot meals?
  • FOR MUSLIMS: How were these “Best of Thanksgiving Meals” like or unlike Ramadan meal celebrations?
  • FOR SIKHS: How were these “Best of Thanksgiving Meals” like or unlike Langar?
  • FOR HINDUS: How were these “Best of Thanksgiving Meals” for Thanksgiving like or unlike ONAM?
  • FOR BUDDHISTS: How were these “Best of Thanksgiving Meals” like or unlike your New Year celebrations?
  • FOR SECULARISTS: What makes your “Best of Thanksgiving Meals” linger in your memory? What does it tell you about what you value?

After everyone has shared, ask “What insights might you have gained from listening to people’s answers?” At the end of the meal, invite Spontaneous Prayer or lead your guests in a Thanksgiving Prayer from your tradition.

2. DINNER CONVERSATION option # 2. Invite your guests to read (or listen to the YouTube audio of) Truman Capote’s poignant and humorous short story The Thanksgiving Visitor before Thanksgiving Day. Let them know you will be inviting them to share their thoughts and feelings about this story throughout dinner. The story takes place in the past, but the relationship dynamics are perennial. Truman Capote reads “The Thanksgiving Visitor” on YouTube:

     www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=CbbJ4iClrW  

    OR

    Make this an AFTER-DINNER ACTIVITY: Gather your guests to read or listen to The Thanksgiving Visitor – or any short story or children’s book–and discuss it. For Children’s Books, see The Best Thanksgiving Books to Read Aloud – Bookshop.org

    https://bookshop.org/p/books/a-christmas-memory-truman-capote/21778785?ean=9780679602378

    3. OPTIONAL CHARITABLE COMPONENT TO THANKSGIVING DAY: INVITE each guest to BRING A SINGLE $ 1. BILL to participate in a PLEASE & THANK YOU GAME. Designate a charity and let them know what the dollars are for in advance. OR before dinner begins, have people choose the charity among three or four (no more than 4) you suggest. (E.G. A local Food Pantry, UNICEF, Habitat for Humanity – nothing partisan or controversial.)  Have extra $1. bills around for those who forget to bring any. From the beginning of the Meal to its conclusion, should anyone forget to say “Please” or “Thank You,” (i.e., “Please pass the potatoes” or “thank you for pouring my drink”), he or she gets a WARNING. The SECOND TIME he or she must surrender their dollar into a basket for charity. At the end of the day, people may contribute additional $ if they wish.

      4. Invite your guests to memorize OVER THE RIVER & THROUGH THE WOODS by Lydia Maria Child in preparation for Thanksgiving and let them know you will have a contest as to who can recite (OR SING) the first three verses by heart. People can access the poem online at Over the River and Through the Wood – Wikipedia (or get the Book out from their library, or purchase it). If they prefer, they can memorize the much shorter poem THE MIST AND ALL by DIXIE WILLSON – Poetry Explorer – Your Free Poetry Website for Classic and Contemporary Poetry OR any other Autumn / Thanksgiving Poem they would like to share. People can recite their poem during dessert or help each other with the verses throughout CLEAN UP.

      https://bookshop.org/p/books/over-the-river-and-through-the-wood-lydia-maria-child/7279193?ean=9780735841918

      5. BOARD GAMES: Consider having these or others on-hand: Charades, Pictionary, Balderdash. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balderdash

        6. Prepare a Card Table with Index Cards & pens or pencils, a Small Basket or Shoebox and a poster or placard on which you have written these instructions:  

        Welcome! Take a card and write your response to ONE of the following questions. Do NOT print your name on the card as guests will need to guess “who wrote what” later today.

        — “What experience of the past year do I treasure most?”


        — “What gift that I received this year (no matter the occasion) continue to bring me enjoyment?”

        Place these “Treasured Gift” papers in a small basket or shoebox and place it on or near the dining table. During the first course, invite someone to pick an index card at random from the basket and read it aloud. All the guests try to guess the identity of the author.

        THE DAY BEFORE THANKSGIVING

        •  Set DVR to pre-record Thanksgiving Day parade(s) and Football Games; pre-record or purchase/rent CHARLIE BROWN THANKSGIVING or other cartoons. People can watch them during breaks or after dinner and clean-up is over.

        • Printout copies of OVER THE RIVER & THROUGH THE WOODS by Lydia Maria Child Over the River and Through the Wood – Wikipedia (or get the Book out from your library!)  or copies of other Autumn / Thanksgiving Poems such as The MIST &ALL by Dixie Wilson THE MIST AND ALL by DIXIE WILLSON – Poetry Explorer – Your Free Poetry Website for Classic and Contemporary Poetry At a break after dinner but BEFORE Dessert (always a good idea!)  invite guests to review their poem and prepare to recite it during Dessert as you had invited them previously.

        • Get Access to Music Ready via CD, Spotify, Pandora, YouTube (See item IX below)
        • If you chose to sponsor the Please and Thank You Game Charity Game, have extra $1. bills handy for those who forgot to bring any.
        • PRINTOUT A FEELING CHART FOR EACH GUEST. You can distribute copies to everyone as they sit at the table for your first course as a way to PREPARE for your PRAYER. The prayer will begin by acknowledging how everyone at your table is feeling –elated, sorrowful, etc. –an essential way to honor people and emphasize your care for them and invite them to ponder the love of a caring God. See THANKSGIVING DAY Item # 2 BELOW for the “how” and “why” of this Feeling-centered exercise.

        THANKSGIVING DAY

        1. UPON ARRIVAL

          A. If you have chosen to engage in “The Treasured Gift” game– Direct your guests to the CARD TABLE. If you did not choose to have people write their “Best” and “Worst” Thanksgiving Memories and Prayer in advance, you could have them write them out now and follow the directions in DINNER CONVERSATIN # 1 above.

            B. If you did not choose to have people write their “Best” and “Worst” Thanksgiving Memories and Prayer in advance, you could have them write them out now and follow the directions in DINNER CONVERSATIN # 1 above.

            2. TRADITIONAL GRACE “PLUS” – The “+” includes Faith Sharing before the meal. Begin by distributing copies of the Feeling Chart to your guests as they are seated for dinner.

              INSTRUCTIONS FOR ALL: EXPLAIN that the purpose in asking people to claim a feeling–and to name it for others to hear–provides us with a way to express our care for one another and respect our differences through attentive listening. The emphasis is on listening so we may address what we hear by way of acknowledging our feelings in our Prayer before our Meal. We ask that no one comment on any one person’s feeling words for there are no right or wrong feelings. “We feel what we feel no matter what the holiday may or may not mean to us.”  Feel free to “pass” if you are not comfortable naming what you feel, but we hope you will.

               Using the Chart as a guide, each guest may identify one or two “Feeling Words” (“Happy,” “Sad,” “Thankful,” “Frustrated,” etc.). We ask that NO ONE EXPLAIN their choice of word(s). That qualification is VERY IMPORTANT or the prayer before the meal will become unruly. Ask that NO ONE COMMENT on another’s feelings. Should someone start to explain, tell them they can share later, but “please only one or two words” After all of your guests have identified their feelings, pray the following (or use these ideas to create a prayer of your own):

               “Dear God, HERE WE ARE! We are family and friends — and we bring all these feelings to you on this Thanksgiving Day. Faith attests that You accept us as we are. Help us open a place for you in our hearts, grant us peace and serenity, help us to identify people, places, and things for which we are grateful. Help us to make the most of this day, this meal, and our time together. Give us the grace to be kind, to be patient, and to affirm the best of what we know and see in one another. We know that Affirmation is the best way to cultivate Gratitude, and we hope that by the end of this day of National Thanksgiving, we may have more ways to affirm and bless one another and sing your praises.”

              Then invite everyone to join in your family’s traditional Grace before Meals, OR if your company is of mixed religions, invite each to say his or her traditional grace in addition to your traditional one, OR you could also try this: 

              “Blessed are YOU, Source of Life, you are known by so many names, help us to experience GRATITUDE, for gratefulness nurtures mutual affection and places us on the path of peace. Bless our Meal and our Conversation. Amen.” 

              3. FIRST COURSE ACTIVITY (Soup/Salad/Antipasto): Treasured Gifts: During the first course, invite someone to pick an index card at random from the basket and read it aloud. All the guests try to guess the identity of the author. Once identified, invite the author to share why he or she remains thankful for this gift. 

              4. DURING THE MAIN MEAL: Invite each Guest to share his or her memories of the best Thanksgiving OR ANY SPECIAL MEAL that they have ever experienced and why it is an important memory for him or her. Use the Faith options in Part 1 “The Week Before Thanksgiving” (How this memory corresponds to a religious ritual or occasion) for additional points to share.

              5. AFTER THE MAIN MEAL PRAYER: Post-Meal Prayers have fallen out of fashion. But since Thanksgiving is a Day of Gratitude and therefore a Day of Prayer, schedule a break BEFORE DESSERT (highly recommended), and before your guests leave the table, invite them to share spontaneous prayers for anyone or anything that concerns them. If you wish you could close with Psalm 121.

                Psalm 121 NABRE – Psalm 121 The Lord My Guardian – A song – Bible Gateway

              6. TAKE A BREAK BEFORE DESSERT and invite your guests to engage in some Physical Activity such as a walk outdoors or help in the kitchen, clearing the table, or playing Musical Chairs in the Living Room. MEANWHILE, guests should review their poem (Item # 6 noted above) and be ready to recite it at dessert.

              7. DURING DESERT: POEM RECITATIONS.

              8. THE FINAL CLEAN UP – HAVE EVERYONE JOIN IN. OR, if there are space limitations in the kitchen, direct those who cannot help to begin Social Activities.

              9. SOCIAL TIME:

              • Community Games to Have on Hand: Charades, Pictionary, Balderdash
              • Dancing: Access the Music you have chosen via CD, Spotify, Pandora, YouTube

              10. LINGERING TIME:  Now people can watch the Football replays or evening games, play board games, watch Charlie Brown and other cartoons.

              11. FAREWELLS As each person prepares to leave, ask if they would like a final Thanksgiving Blessing. If yes, the Hosts may place their hands on each guest’s head or shoulders and pray the PRIESTLY BLESSING from the Book of Numbers, Chapter 6: 24-26: “The Lord bless you and keep you! The Lord let his face shine upon you and be gracious to you! The Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace! “Conclude with “Safe home! Godspeed! God bless!” 

              12. FOOTBALL FANS OPTION:  If your guest list comprises a majority of Football fans, CONSIDER planning your meal and activities around them. Here is the Game Schedule for this year:

              2024 NFL Thanksgiving Day Game Schedule

              1. Chicago Bears vs. Detroit Lions — 12:30 P.M. ET on CBS
              2. New York Giants vs. Dallas Cowboys — 4:30 P.M ET on FOX
              3. Miami Dolphins vs. Green Bay Packers — 8:20 P.M. ET on NBC
              1. Let the fans know you have your DVR recording the games so people can review games and fast-forward commercials between courses.
              2. Invite Football fans to name Thanksgiving Day Teams and Winners from the past. Who has the best football memory?