Starting a New Tradition

By Michele Goodrich

I’ve decided to shake things up this Thanksgiving by introducing something new into the traditional way my family spends the day.

Typically, our Thanksgiving Day starts with cooking and watching the Macy’s Day Parade on TV, then more cooking and watching football on TV.  After watching more football, we gather at the table, give thanks and enjoy a fabulous meal together.  After the meal, there’s more football then a break for dessert and coffee and then more football watching on into the evening.  Catching on to the pattern?  Thanksgiving for my family boils down to parade, food, football, food, football… and little talking and sharing.

This year, I want to start a new tradition, with less focus on food and football and more attention on each other.  The way I see it, the multiple generations, old and new friends and people from far and near gathered together on this special holiday is ideal for some storytelling.  Sharing stories could help us get to know each other better, relive memorable times from long ago and pass on some family lore.

I’ve borrowed a board game called “Life Stories” from a friend to help put some structure to the activity.  The board game includes cards with questions to spark memories and focus the content of the stories.  Each player has a chance to share and listen to stories during the course of the game.

One of my favorite things about my profession is listening to people tell stories about their life experiences.  It is such a privilege to be invited into someone’s life in such an intimate way.  I hope my family feels the same way after they play “Life Stories” together on Thanksgiving Day.

Now to find a way to temporarily cut off cable service for a few hours in the afternoon so I don’t have to compete with the NFL.

Last 5 posts by Michele Goodrich

• Whoever Tells the Best Story Wins - April 19th, 2012
• Volunteer Churn - March 19th, 2012
• SuperVision - February 3rd, 2012
• Good Reads - The Art of Racing in the Rain - January 25th, 2012
• Stop whining. There's important work to be done! - July 11th, 2011

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