Thankful

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

 1 Thessalonians 5:18

 I love making holiday treats with the kids! We usually make some for us and some to share with classmates/teachers. We plan to make our holiday sugar cookies next week, but I decided to go ahead and fix some shareable treats now (to give us time to pass them out).

First up we fixed a "Blessings Mix". I found a recipe here and modified it with what I had on hand. (I omitted the candy corn and chocolate kisses.)

Ingredients

• 2 cups Bugles brand corn snacks
• 2 cups small pretzels
• 1 cup candy corn
• 1 cup dried fruit bits or raisins
• 1 cup peanuts or sunflower seeds
• 1 cup M&Ms-brand chocolate candy
• 16 Hershey's-brand chocolate kisses
• Blessings Mix gift tags

My son wasn't too interested in this project so my daughter did everything herself. It's a very kid friendly recipe and she loved measuring/pouring out all of the different ingredients. 

The great thing with the website I posted is that it gives you a link to printable tags with a great poem. 

Thanksgiving Blessing Mix Poem 

Bugles: Shaped like a cornucopia or Horn of Plenty, a symbol of our nation's abundance.

Pretzels: Arms folded in prayer, a freedom sought by those who founded our country. Candy corn: Sacrifices of the Pilgrims' first winter. Food was so scarce that settlers survived on just a few kernels of corn a day.
Nuts or seeds: Promise of a a future harvest, one we will reap only if seeds are planted and tended with diligence.
Dried fruits: Harvest gifts of our bountiful land.
M&Ms: Memories of those who came before us to guide us to a blessed future.

Hershey's Kiss: The love of family and friends that sweetens our lives

 

I already had tags printed and ready to use, so I just decided to include the poem with the treat bags. My tags came from Every Day Cheer and are available for free download here and another cute one here.

We also fixed chocolate chip cookies to give to Cate's teachers, bus driver, church leaders, etc.

And of course she chose pink ribbon!

One more activity we've been doing since November 1st is our "thankful chain". Every year I try to focus on the things we are thankful for. One year I drew a tree and had my daughter write on leaves to put on the tree. This year I kept it simple with a chain link. She cut the links and she writes what she is thankful for, every day. Some days she even tries to get an answer from my 2 year old son.

 Thanksgiving is probably my favorite holiday. I love focusing on the things we are thankful for, helping/serving others, and just enjoying our time with friends/family.

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!

Psalm 107:1