Thanksgiving to many is really just a holiday reserved to eat a lot of food, watch football and spend some time with family. Well to the Ayers household it holds a different meaning. Several years ago Greg and Pam, Jason's parents, decided that this holiday should be a day meant to tell those you love how thankful you are for them and what better way to say it than giving a gift? So instead of giving gifts on Christmas they chose to give each other gifts on Thanksgiving and reserve Christmas as a time to remember Christ's birth and giving to others the way God gave his son to us.
Being a part of this tradition for the last several years has been very special to me as I watched Jason's parents and siblings go person by person telling them why they are thankful for them and declaring the things of God over their life. It's funny to think that we "know" that our family loves us and that it doesn't really have to be said but when someone does, or several people do, it touches your heart in a way you can't imagine.
This tradition is something that Jason and I have decided we would like for our family. I struggled in the beginning thinking about all of my Christmas morning memories and knowing that my children wouldn't have those, so as a slight compromise Jason gave way and came up with a plan to spend the day before Thanksgiving as a family decorating the Christmas tree so that Thanksgiving morning our children would be able to wake up and open presents under the tree. A silly concept but one of the things I remember most about my childhood.
This year was particularly special because it was the very first Thanksgiving with a child of our own. It was so exciting to be able to share this time with our little girl and although I'm sure the only part she understood was that she was opening gifts we took the time to tell her how thankful we are that God gave her to us and declare the plans that God has for her future. It was so special and fun to watch her tear into her gifts and to see her literally jump for joy when she saw her new playground outside.
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| A Gabba Gabba shirt! |
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| We had to hang a sheet to cover the surprise! |
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| Playing with the dress ups G'ma and G'pa gave her |
It's a day I won't forget and it's a tradition I'm glad to carry for many years to come.
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