Tag Archives: Thanksgiving

Making Thanksgiving Memories Together

Thanksgiving is a public holiday celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November every year in the United States. It started as a harvest festival and has been celebrated nationally on and off since 1789.  The most important part of Thanksgiving for American families is to spend family time together.

Martin Cathrae

 “My favorite holiday was Thanksgiving. Firstly, it was my first holiday with the whole family in America. Secondly, the whole family came together. All aunts and uncles and their kids came to grandma’s. We played football with all of them, including grandma and grandpa. It was the first time I played it and it was so much fun for all. We had a great dinner with all the typical things you can imagine … it was deeeelicious! It was so great to be with such a big family and I really enjoyed that day. I will remember it my whole life, I hope.” – Swantje from Germany

Here are a few tips to help you have a terrific Thanksgiving experience.

Host Parents
Please plan to include your au pair in your Thanksgiving celebration, if at all possible. If you are traveling or will not be able to invite your au pair to join you for Thanksgiving, give her plenty of notice and help her make alternate plans. You don’t want to leave your au pair alone over the holiday.

Au Pairs
If you are invited to attend dinner, please let your family know within 5 days of the invitation, whether you are planning to attend, so they may make plans. If your host family is unable to include you in their Thanksgiving plans, please let me know if you have trouble making other plans, so I can assist.

Make sure to discuss time off during this holiday weekend. Many host families work the Friday after Thanksgiving so do not assume you have this day off or the entire weekend. Talk to your host family, BEFORE you make any plans.

Bonus Tip for the Kids
If you are looking for a fun recipe to make with your au pair, check out these turkey cookies. Find more fun activities and recipes on the Au Pair in America Fall Holidays pinboard.

 

5 Thanksgiving Tips for Au Pairs & Host Parents

Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November each year. Even though a few other countries also celebrate Thanksgiving, it’s still considered a uniquely American holiday, one that the au pairs look forward to experiencing. You can learn more about it here.

“I really enjoyed Thanksgiving with my host family. It was as I imagined! So much food to try. Everyone got dressed up and shared what they were thankful for. It was so warm and special. The next day we began to prepare for Christmas. It was magical.” Selina from Germany

Below you will find some tips to help you have a terrific Thanksgiving experience.

 

Host Parents

1.  Please plan to include your au pair in your Thanksgiving celebration, if at all possible. Thanksgiving with an au pair offers an opportunity to consider the relevance of the history and meaning of Thanksgiving as you compare the hospitality offered by the Native Americans to the recently arrived Pilgrims and the hospitality you offer your au pair.

2.  If you are traveling or will not be able to invite your au pair to join you for Thanksgiving, give her plenty of notice and help her make alternate plans. You don’t want to leave your au pair alone over the holiday.

Au Pairs

3.  If you are invited to attend dinner, please let your family know within 5 days of the invitation, whether you are planning to attend. It is considered rude in America to accept the invitation for dinner and then change your mind later in the month. Please be thoughtful.

4.  Make sure to discuss time off during this holiday weekend. Many host families work the Friday after Thanksgiving so do not assume you have this day off or the entire weekend. Talk to your host family, BEFORE you make any plans.

5.  If your host family is unable to include you in their Thanksgiving plans, please let me know if you have trouble making other plans. You may be able to join a friend and their host family for the holiday dinner.

Bonus Tip for the Kids

If you are looking for a fun recipe to make with your au pair, check out these turkey cupcakes. Find more fun activities and recipes on the Au Pair in America Fall Holidays pinboard.

Photo: Tim Sackton (Flickr)

Thanksgiving Crafts for Kids

Thanksgiving Crafts for Kids

Here are some activities that you can do with kids on Thanksgiving.  You can create decorations for the dinner table, or some cute turkey pictures.  You can find many different ideas when you click on the links below.  You can also find lots of ideas on the Au Pair in America Fall Holidays pinboard on Pinterest.

Here are 3 examples:


turkeycenterL

Marin Mommies

 

Turkey Hat Craft

turkey-hat-craft

All Kids Network

 

Napkin Rings

easy_thanksgiving_craft

Easy Crafts For Kids

Thanksgiving Fun For Kids!

Thanksgiving fun for kids

Here are some activities that au pairs can do with their children to celebrate Thanksgiving. Click here to find crafts, coloring sheets, spelling worksheets, math puzzles, nametags and more. Enjoy!

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/thanksgiving/

http://www.parenting.com/gallery/thanksgiving-crafts-ideas

http://www.buzzfeed.com/mikespohr/23-clever-crafts-to-keep-the-kids-busy-on-thanksgiving

November Cluster Meeting – Thanksgiving Dinner

Rhode Island au pairs had the opportunity to celebrate the American Thanksgiving holiday at their November cluster meeting as they shared a Thanksgiving dinner with International students from Brown University and friends of the International House of Rhode Island. Thanksgiving Dinner (which was the first for most au pairs and international students!) was a traditional meal of roast turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, vegetables, cranberry sauce, apple pie, and hot mulled apple cider. The food was delicious, and it was a fun and festive evening for all! For au pairs, this dinner was a preview of coming attractions — a prelude to Thanksgiving Dinner which most will be sharing with host families and friends on Thanksgiving Day — Thursday, November 28.
Tgiving IH2 2013Thanksgiving IH 2013

Happy Thanksgiving!

Here is a famous illustration by Norman Rockwell, a 20th century American painter, which describes his vision of Thanksgiving
Norman-Rockwell-Thanksgiving-thanksgiving-2927689-375-479

Most au pairs will be experiencing their very first Thanksgiving celebration this week. Thanksgiving Day in America is a time to gather with family and friends for holiday meals. It is a time of giving thanks for all of our blessings. There will be football games and parades, but “feasting” is the most significant activity that occurs on Thanksgiving Day. The main food for the feast is roasted turkey with dressing, usually accompanied by mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potatoes, sweet corn, cranberry sauce , fall vegetables and pumpkin pie.

History of Thanksgiving -In 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest feast that is acknowledged today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies. For more than two centuries, days of thanksgiving were celebrated by individual colonies and states. It wasn’t until 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, that President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day to be held each November. Click HERE for more information about the history of Thanksgiving.

Au Pairs Donate Thanksgiving Food Basket to Rhode Island Food Bank

Group Photo2Bow poseWarrior ITripodlotus Group Photo

“No one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of another”.    -Charles Dickens

Au Pairs had the opportunity to practice yoga again at their November meeting.   Everyone brought non-perishable food items to the meeting so that a Thanksgiving Gift Basket could be donated to the Rhode Island Food bank.  Many thanks to au pairs and host families for your generosity!  A beautiful food basket was delivered to the RI Food Bank on Monday, November 22, along with a card and a photo of our group of au pairs.  The name of each au pair who attended our November meeting was placed in a drawing for a chance to win two tickets to the classic Charles Dickens play “A Christmas Carol” at Trinity Reperatory Theater. The winner of the tickets was Beverly, our newest au pair who just arrived from Brazil  — a great way to welcome Beverly to Rhode Island!  View more photos: http://www1.snapfish.com/snapfish/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=3318534017/a=13509975_13509975/

 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING ……On Thursday, November 25, most au pairs will be celebrating their very first Thanksgiving! The biggest holiday in America for family and feasting, Thanksgiving Day celebrates the traditional harvest after Pilgrims came to these shores to seek a new life. The very first Thanksgiving was observed in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1621, when weary settlers were joined by Wampanoag Indians in celebration of a traditional Old World English harvest festival. The Thanksgiving tradition continues today with turkey, savory stuffing and cranberry sauce, plus generous helpings of pumpkin pie and other desserts usually prepared using family recipes handed down from generation to generation.