Reframing Thanksgiving
Like a lot of things in our world, the more we learn about the history and origins of Thanksgiving, the more complicated the holiday becomes. What many of us grew up with — cheerful stories, friendly feasts, simple narratives — doesn’t tell the whole truth. As the far-reaching effects of colonialism have become clearer, it’s understandable that this season might stir discomfort, tension, or confusion.
So how do we do Thanksgiving differently?
How do we celebrate gratitude while also acknowledging the harm, violence, and loss woven into the history of this land?
The work isn’t about canceling a holiday. It’s about honesty.
It’s about teaching our kids that gratitude and truth can exist together.
And it’s about honoring the stories that were here long before ours.
Here are a few intentional ways families can approach Thanksgiving with a fuller, more faithful perspective this year.
1. Learn the true history of the Indigenous people connected to your land.
Every family lives on land with a story. Taking time to learn the names, histories, and traditions of the Indigenous people who once lived where you are now is a simple but significant step toward honoring truth.
Resources like Native Land Digital can help you identify which tribes lived on your land.
2. Incorporate Indigenous ingredients into the recipes you already make.
Instead of reinventing your whole menu, try adding or highlighting foods that have been cultivated on this land for generations.
This might include:
corn
squash
beans
wild rice
cranberries
nuts
A small shift in your recipes can become a meaningful recognition of the people who stewarded these ingredients long before us.
3. Make a traditional Indigenous dish like Three Sisters.
In Indigenous agricultural practice, Three Sisters — corn, beans, and squash — were planted together because they depended on each other to thrive:
The corn provided a structure for the beans to climb.
The squash shaded the soil and kept weeds from growing.
The beans replenished the soil with nutrients.
This interdependence is part of why they are called “sisters.”
It’s a beautiful symbol of community, care, and shared flourishing.
4. Explore Indigenous creation stories as a family.
Many Indigenous tribes view corn, beans, and squash not just as crops, but as gifts from the Creator — woven into their creation stories and spiritual practices.
Learn which tribes are connected to your region, then look up their creation stories.
After reading, ask your family:
How is this story similar to the creation story in Genesis?
How is it different?
What does this story teach about relationship, responsibility, or gratitude?
These conversations help kids understand that truth is often bigger than one tradition.
5. Learn about Indigenous expressions of gratitude.
For many Indigenous cultures, “giving thanks” is not a holiday — it’s a way of life.
One beautiful example is the Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address, often called Greetings to the Natural World. It’s a long, poetic expression of gratitude for water, land, plants, animals, people, and the Creator.
Reading this as a family can broaden your understanding of what gratitude looks like when it’s woven into daily living.
6. Use resources designed to help kids understand the full story.
The National Museum of the American Indian offers thoughtful, age-appropriate tools for teaching kids about the real history of Thanksgiving. Videos, guides, and handouts can help you introduce these conversations in a grounded and compassionate way.
This work doesn’t have to be heavy or scary for kids — it can be grounding, expanding, and deeply meaningful.
A Thanksgiving That Holds Both Gratitude and Truth
Teaching our families to love the truth is not an act of division — it’s an act of integrity. When we tell the fuller story of Thanksgiving, we help our kids see that gratitude and honesty can coexist. That joy doesn’t require forgetting. That honoring Indigenous people is also a way of honoring the God who loves truth, justice, and mercy.
This year, may your table make space for celebration and reflection.
For gratitude and learning.
For tradition and new imagination.
A Thanksgiving that holds both the good and the honest story.
