School Holiday Spirit

This week the schools will be full of holiday spirit. I remember those days from a child’s memory and a parent’s memory, as I am sure do you. As a child in school, I loved the Thanksgiving season. We drew Pilgrims, Indians, turkeys and cornucopias filled with all kinds of fall bounty. Our reading lessons included stories that involved Thanksgiving themes. I remember being asked to illustrate the stories. It was so much fun and I could not hear the Thanksgiving story enough. They were music to my young ears. Little did I know the romanticized story was hardly the reality of the hardship during that period of history.

Most years included a play about the Thanksgiving story, with costumes. We made Indian headbands and Pilgrim hats to wear in the classroom. Some teachers created the feast, as a teaching tool. And then… there was always a Thanksgiving meal in the cafeteria the day before the holiday break. What fun… anticipation was high, as we celebrated at school, waiting for the real event at home. Adding to the splendor of the season was the knowledge that on our return to school, we would be engulfed in the Christmas season and all of its icons.

As a parent, I relived the plays, as a member of the audience not the participant, which was equally fun. Each year, the Thanksgiving feast was served in the cafeteria, and each year, I filled up on pre-Thanksgiving food. As I had two children, it was necessary to eat with both. I was full, but happy to have shared the event with my children. Indian headbands and Pilgrim hats were still worn by the children and the rooms were filled with pictures representing the Thanksgiving theme. There were still plays and music, just as in my time in school. The school was filled with the spirit of Thanksgiving and anticipation of things to come. I felt as though I had been there before… I felt like a kid again.

Happy Thanksgiving!