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Giving Gratitude for Thanksgiving
Gift Giving is Not Just for Christmas!
The aroma of baked turkey, pumpkin pie, stuffing and cookies along with all the fixings naturally will bring back precious memories and/or also may conjure up unresolved feelings that remain etched in our core. Without a doubt, all of which greatly shapes how we view ourselves and the world around us particularly during the holidays.
 
Indeed, this day evokes gratitude but this day also brings about an awareness about our personal journey (our history) and cause us to reflect about that path we took and where our footsteps have traveled and where we have landed. For our residents these thoughts may indeed may be a blending of happy and bittersweet feelings about his/her transition from private life to residential living and whether those feelings have imprinted a positive sense of gratitude.
 
In the true spirit of giving and being thankful, let each and every resident know that he/she is a vital part of the residential living community and honor your resident by discovering and understanding where your residents’ footsteps have traveled. Then make it your mission to implement facility programming that seeks to celebrate, educate and validate all the wonderful diversity and uniqueness of each and every resident which after all, is the greatest blessing of sharing the joys of the upcoming season.

 
Inclusivity
While the holidays are a time of joy and cheer, be mindful to recognize those residents that may feel excluded and left out. Certain holidays are favored in our region during this time of year, but the reality is between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, there are numerous religious and secular holidays that occur.  
 
Thankful Holidays from Around the World

Tradition Outside of Turkey- On the fourth Thursday each November, Americans celebrate Thanksgiving. Many commemorate the national holiday by giving to charity, enjoying parades and sporting events and consuming a large meal, which traditionally includes foods like turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie

The Yam Festival (Ghana and Nigeria): Forget other foods, those in Ghana and Nigeria have an entire festival dedicated to yams. The festival is held when the yam harvest is ripe – typically in August or September – at the end of the rainy season and includes a big feast. In Ghana, a boy is chosen lead a parade by carrying the best yams, and Nigeria's celebration features public wrestling matches and music.

Water Buffalo Racing (Thailand): Each October, farmers travel to Thailand's Chonburi province to participate in a decades-old water buffalo racing festival. The race is a celebration for rice farmers before the harvest.

Painted Cows for a Four-Day Harvest (India and elsewhere by Tamils worldwide): Pongal is a four-day harvest festival celebrated in Tamil Nadu, a southern state of India. Pongal comes from the Tamil word "to boil." The holiday is a thanksgiving to nature and is held in January and February when rice and other cereals, sugarcane and turmeric are harvested. The popular Hindu festival includes singing, dancing, painting and decorating cattle, among other traditions.

The Duck Race (Germany): While it's not a harvest festival, Germans in the town of Tübingen give thanks in their own way – through thousands of yellow, rubber duckies. In early October, the annual Tubingen Duck Race – also known as the “entenrennen” – sends the ducks racing down the river for a good cause. Tübingen's race is a fundraising effort for charity, and similar races held throughout Germany are typically used as a way to give back.

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/slideshows/5-thanksgiving-like-holidays-from-around-the-world?slide=6

Yes, the visual memories such as decorative fall trimmings, cornucopias and such are welcome gifts to lift our spirits around the holidays but the best gift of giving is the one that you give all through the year helps your resident to “feel” that integral sense gratitude for which they are most deserving.   
With grateful heart and appreciation for all your amazing support over the past year! All of us here at Activity Directors Network are sending our best wishes to you and yours for a blessed and Happy Thanksgiving Season! We are Thankful for all you do!
Have a topic request or question for Celeste? Send them over to celestechase@activitydirector.org
Activity Directors Network was founded in 1996 on the idea that we could help create elderly care that dramatically improved the lives of those we all serve. We envision facilities that feel like homes and that celebrate our resident’s individuality and allows them to live with dignity, purpose and joy. We believe the exchange of education and wisdom between the most talented teachers and passionate students is the way to make an impact. Each and every single one of you are the revolution that is changing everything. Thanks for being a part of The Network.
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