The Tablecloth
Ever since the year 2000 our family has had a tradition that is known as the 'Thanksgiving Tablecloth'. I'd like to say it was a purely original idea but it's actually something I picked up from 'Family Fun' magazine.
Every Thanksgiving my mother-in-law spreads the same white, 8 ft., snowflake covered tablecloth over the dining room table and each year we take our turns writing out a message of thanks, or in some cases just plain goofy thoughts on our special canvas.
The beauty of 'The Tablecloth' is that one forgets what they've written from year to year and the result is a trip down memory lane both poignant and mirthful. Here's a sampling of some of my favorite thoughts...
In 2004 my husband wrote: "This Thanksgiving I'm sadder yet hopefully wiser for the events that took place. More than anything I am grateful for everyone in my family."
(My father-in-law had passed away in July of that year.)
In 2001 my daughter drew a picture of the twin towers and an American Flag and wrote about being "Thankful to live in a free country." Every year since my daughter has added lovely artwork to the tablecloth... To the point that we are running out of room to write much of anything on her side of the table.
In 2005 I wrote that I was "Thankful for 'Electricity'!" There had been a terrible wind-storm that year and my mother-in-laws home had lost power long enough that we thought we were going to have to move the turkey from the oven and take it over to my brother-in-laws house 20 miles away.
My son who is simply not a writer dictated his message of being "Thankful for his family." back in 2000 and since then he simply writes "Ditto" underneath it and signs his name.
One year my sister-in-law wrote: "Hey, who wrote on the tablecloth?"
My father-in-law, the year before he passed away wrote a simple prayer, "Dear Lord for this thy bounty let us be truely grateful." Even though he is no longer with us, his thought and his spirit live on at our Thanksgiving table.
Every Thanksgiving my mother-in-law spreads the same white, 8 ft., snowflake covered tablecloth over the dining room table and each year we take our turns writing out a message of thanks, or in some cases just plain goofy thoughts on our special canvas.
The beauty of 'The Tablecloth' is that one forgets what they've written from year to year and the result is a trip down memory lane both poignant and mirthful. Here's a sampling of some of my favorite thoughts...
In 2004 my husband wrote: "This Thanksgiving I'm sadder yet hopefully wiser for the events that took place. More than anything I am grateful for everyone in my family."
(My father-in-law had passed away in July of that year.)
In 2001 my daughter drew a picture of the twin towers and an American Flag and wrote about being "Thankful to live in a free country." Every year since my daughter has added lovely artwork to the tablecloth... To the point that we are running out of room to write much of anything on her side of the table.
In 2005 I wrote that I was "Thankful for 'Electricity'!" There had been a terrible wind-storm that year and my mother-in-laws home had lost power long enough that we thought we were going to have to move the turkey from the oven and take it over to my brother-in-laws house 20 miles away.
My son who is simply not a writer dictated his message of being "Thankful for his family." back in 2000 and since then he simply writes "Ditto" underneath it and signs his name.
One year my sister-in-law wrote: "Hey, who wrote on the tablecloth?"
My father-in-law, the year before he passed away wrote a simple prayer, "Dear Lord for this thy bounty let us be truely grateful." Even though he is no longer with us, his thought and his spirit live on at our Thanksgiving table.
Labels: Holidays
posted by EmBee at 10:45 AM
3 Comments:
what a WONDERFUL idea! i love it! thanks so much for sharing:)
That tablecloth idea is really cool. I want to do that.
I'd love to take credit for the idea but like I said, I read it in Family Fun Magazine... A great resource for family togetherness ideas. :-)
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