Thanksgiving is our signature collection of holiday resources first created in October 2001, in response to 9/11. We wanted to give Americans new ways to experience Thanksgiving as we all struggled to recover from the terrible assault on our nation. 

Thanksgiving, America’s most universally celebrated holiday, is an ideal time to reflect on what makes our nation special. 

• Give thanks for the freedoms we enjoy  
• Learn more about your family’s American story
• Explore America’s civic heritage
• Do more than eat, watch football, and shop, because so many of us feel the need to do more

Ceremonies to Choose

Ceremonies create a framework to help us stop and think about why we've gathered. They remind us that the holiday we celebrate has a unique purpose. We offer a range of ceremonies from the simple “Try a Slice”  to our full version with its many variations. Some ceremonies were created by others to make their own traditions for friends and family. We hope you enjoy our ceremonies and are inspired to create your own.

A Memory Harvest (using stories to honor and remember those who cannot be with us at our Thanksgiving Table)

• A Memory Harvest Introduction (how to prepare and conduct a Memory Harvest)
• A Memory Harvest Tips (guidelines to send to storytellers)
• A Memory Harvest Ceremony (to print out and share at the Thanksgiving table)

Freedom's Feast Thanksgiving Original Ceremony (sparks conversation about why we are thankful to be Americans)

• "Try a Slice" Introductory Version (recommended for first time users)
• Full Version (includes several variations and an alternate 10 minute ceremony option)  
  • Ten Minute Variation
  • Twenty Minute Variation
• Non-family Gatherings (created by Chris Nelson, President of St. John’s College)
• Interfaith Gatherings (2002, created by Rabbi Jack Moline)
• Interfaith Gatherings (2009, alternate interfaith ceremony)

Thanksgiving Celebrate Your Way

There is no right or wrong way to use Freedom's Feast. Your way is best when it works for you. Choose one or more of our celebration ideas to add to your current Thanksgiving practice. Whatever choice you make will help to involve everyone and provide new ways to share your stories, history, and special talents across generations.

• 10 Ways to Make Your Thanksgiving More Meaningful, Fun, and American
• Telling Our Family Stories
• Thanksgiving Reflection Exercise
• Thanksgiving Sing-Along

Create a Keepsake

Make your own Thanksgiving Gratitude Plate that expresses the things you are thankful for and becomes a treasured Thanksgiving display item.

• Thanksgiving Create A Keepsake Gratitude Plate
• The Freedom's Feast Dinner Plate Collection at CMOM (the Children's Museum of Manhattan) Original Gratitude Plates by professional artists and illustrators.

Explore More

Holidays have a history. Of course we have the original Pilgrim and Native American story from 1621. Even though Thanksgiving is our most widely celebrated national holiday, it didn’t become part of the permanent federal calendar until 1941. Surprised? So were we! Enjoy exploring the resources we've gathered and a short book list to share with younger children.

Thanksgiving Resources For You

• A Simple Thanksgiving History
• Pilgrim Hall, our nation’s oldest continuously operating public museum located in Plymouth, Massachusetts sponsors this site. There’s no substitute for going there and seeing the actual artifacts, but you can start to learn about some of our earliest settlers from Europe. 
• Check out Kid Info - Native Americans, a comprehensive guide to Native American histories and Native American facts.
• Visit the National Museum of the American Indian at the Smithsonian Institute. Home to over 800,000 artifacts and 300,000 images, the museum tells the story of the Native cultures of the western hemisphere. This includes our own country's difficult history of encounters with Native American Indians.
  
• Designed for teachers, parents and kids, Scholastic, a reliable vendor of educational content, offers quality info for anyone who wants to learn more about the first Thanksgiving and early life in America. Start your journey here and see where your explorations take you.
  

Suggested Children's Thanksgiving Booklist

• Giving Thanks: The 1621 Harvest Feast by Kate Waters, 2001.
• 1621: A New Look at Thanksgiving by Catherine O’Neill Grace, 2004.
• Giving Thanks: A Native American Good Morning Message by Jake Swamp, 2003.