Grandpa Kline's Poppycock {Not Your Average Caramel Corn}

I met Trisha at Northland Camp in 2005. Her husband was on program staff. If you are not familiar with Northland Camp, let's just say that "in the middle of nowhere" describes Dunbar, WI pretty accurately. Here is a Thanksgiving tradition that is worth considering for your own family this year! All you need is a white tablecloth...

900 miles. That is what keeps us from celebrating Thanksgiving with our extended families on such a special holiday. We have been privileged to spend this day with our pastor's family each year, making it easier to be away from our loved ones. But as my kids were getting older, I really desired that we have our own special "family traditions" on Thanksgiving.

We decided a special Thanksgiving breakfast would be the perfect way to start the day focused on gratefulness as a family. I try to make it special by setting the table with my china and lighting candles. I do this the night before, so there is a certain excitement when the kids wake up and see the beautiful table. The menu is usually something like an egg casserole, a french toast casserole and a fruit salad (all things that I can make the day before and simply pop in the oven when I wake up). 

The backdrop for all of this, however, is a white fabric tablecloth. Each year, we all take a fabric marker and write on the tablecloth one thing we are thankful for, along with our name, age and year. It is so fun to see the kids' entries: usually starting with a picture of something they are thankful for (when they are too young to write), and progressing to thoughtful entries written in cursive! The kids look forward to reading their old sentences each year...it is always a reminder not just of God's current goodness, but also of his faithfulness throughout the past years.

Trisha Fipps