There shall be “a day of public Thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God….” –1789 Congressional Proclamation
Looking for a family Thanksgiving book to assist you in your celebrations – we found this book Thanksgiving : A Time to Remember as a great resource.
A holiday for celebrating faith, family, and freedom, Thanksgiving Day is both distinctly Christian and exclusively American. Barbara Rainey has created an excellent resource for enabling you and your family to remember the past, recognize God’s hand in our history, and express thankfulness to Him for His goodness today.
This story of the Pilgrims’ faithfulness and biblical thankfulness is accompanied by a CD of songs of worship and praise that will call your hearts to gratitude. It’s a wonderful opportunity to enrich your family’s awareness of our nation’s Christian heritage, provide models of courage and sacrifice for your children, and establish a tradition of sharing your gratefulness with one another, which will build a legacy of memories for the future.
Rainey writes that for her family, “Thanksgiving was not going to be just eating, hours of TV football, naps and leftover turkey sandwiches-followed by a stress-filled Friday of frantic Christmas shopping at the mall.” Instead, she seeks to educate her children-and others, through this book-about the heritage of faith and freedom that is celebrated in the national holiday of Thanksgiving. The book revisits the schoolchild version of the Pilgrims’ first festival of plenty, and is meant to be read aloud by families on Thanksgiving Day (preferably before small stomachs start to grumble). The history is romantic and full of implausibly brave, righteous, magnanimous Pilgrims. There are small factual errors, as when Rainey claims that the Pilgrims observed the Sabbath in accordance with the ninth commandment instead of the fourth. Despite these flaws, the book is well-designed, with informative sidebars and attractive full-color illustrations. A half-hour-long CD of Thanksgiving music rounds out the package.