The 5 Thanksgiving Traditions We All Should Observe

HELPING OTHERS

One way that a lot of people celebrate Thanksgiving is by helping out at shelters or soup kitchens. While that is a great move in itself, a better idea would be to do so consistently and regularly. You could volunteer at local shelters for homeless people or pets, or even organise periodic donation drives to collect old clothes and other items that can be given to those in need.

SPENDING QUALITY TIME WITH THE FAMILY

Thanksgiving is almost synonymous with family time for most people in the western part of the world. While our culture and community is significantly more centred on family than the west, the growing hectic lifestyles do take a toll on quality time spent with family.  Take out time for those you care about. Go for movies, have game nights, cook together and eat together. Maybe you could have your own lavish dinner every once in a while. We are thinking of replacing the turkey with butter chicken though.

REVIVING TRADITIONAL FAMILY RECIPES

If you have a fair share of sitcom and Hollywood movie knowledge, you would know that most families out there have a traditional recipe that is passed down the generations. It could be the stuffing for the turkey, or the pumpkin pie or any one of the numerous sides that a Thanksgiving spread generally has. This holiday is the time when people dig out these age old recipes. Isn’t that a great thing to follow in life?

We all know someone’s mom, daadi, nani, chachi or Bua who have their secret recipes. Learn them! Explore different cuisines and the subtle variations in taste from household to household. Maybe you can come up with your own signature dish!

SITTING AROUND A TABLE

We all know that pretty picture: beautiful table, friends and family, laughter all around. While this is the typical Thanksgiving set up, eating with your loved ones, especially around a dining table is quite a good idea to follow in your everyday life. Not only does it help with your posture, but is also good for digestion as opposed to being slumped in your bed and shovelling food into your mouth as you binge on Netflix.

BEING THANKFUL!

As the name suggests, Thanksgiving is all about being thankful for what all you have. In today’s day and age when we are so exposed to the best parts of other people’s lives, courtesy social media, it can be very easy to feel unhappy about your own. STOP. Take a moment to be thankful for every little thing that is going well for you. One good way to do this is to maintain a daily journal. Start small. Just list down three things that you are thankful for every day, and slowly scale up the number.

These are the five traditions that we feel one must follow regularly. Have more ideas? Do let us know!