This year Thanksgiving will be on November 28th. Our national holiday of gratitude and giving thanks is always held on the 4th Thursday in November. It is a time when we share a meal with friends and family, give back to the community by volunteering, or watching the parade, football, or my personal favorite, the National Dog Show. WorldStrides compiled a list of Thanksgiving fun facts including:

· Turkey wasn’t on the menu at the first Thanksgiving. Venison, duck, goose, oysters, lobster, eel, and fish were likely served, alongside pumpkins and cranberries.
· The average number of calories consumed on Thanksgiving is 4,500.
· Butterball answers more than 100,000 turkey-cooking questions via their Butterball Turkey Hotline each November and December.
· The tradition of football on Thanksgiving began in 1876 with a game between Yale and Princeton. The first NFL games were played on Thanksgiving in 1920.

Want some folklore, courtesy of The Old Farmer’s Almanac?

Thanksgiving Weather Folklore

· Turkeys perched on trees and refusing to descend indicate snow.
· If the first snow sticks to the trees, it foretells a bountiful harvest in the coming year.
· If sheep feed facing downhill, watch for a snowstorm.
· Thunder in November indicates a fertile year to come.
· If there be ice in November that will bear a duck, there will be nothing thereafter but sleet and muck.
· When the winter is early, it will not be late.

What are some of your Thanksgiving traditions? What do you do to give thanks?

Thrifting has recently gained in popularity with more young people catching on to the idea of sustainability. Reusing, repurposing for the greater good of the planet. You are either “a picker and a digger” or you are not. I was raised as a thrifter. I remember as a young child driving around the neighborhood with my mom during the town’s “Throw Out” week, when people placed their unwanted items on the curb for others to pick up and claim as their own. I called it “Throw Up” week as young kids do mixing up words.

About twice a year Family Promise of Sussex County partners with Nick’s Hope in bringing together a Pop Up Thrift Shop free for the community. This year it will be held on November 16th with the First Presbyterian Church of Newton acting as our gracious host.

Interested in thrifting? Here are some pro-tips:

· Don’t go with the idea that you are looking for something specific. Be open minded, use this as an opportunity to try, buy something that you normally would not.
· Some stores don’t have proper dressing rooms or none at all. Wear clothes that you could easily take a layer off or be able to add a layer to try something on.
· Pay attention to labels, fabrics, prints, where it was made – these are all clues for quality.
· Try to find a thrift shop in or near a wealthy community, more apt to find higher quality items at a discounted price.

Just go out there and try, you never know what you will find and the thrill of the hunt especially when your score is amazing. Let us know what has been your greatest second-hand thrift find.

World Kindness Day is held on November 13th each year. It is an international observance introduced by the World Kindness Movement in 1998. The mission of the World Kindness Movement (WKM) is to inspire individuals and connect nations to create a kinder world. People often say it is harder, takes more effort to be mean than to be nice or kind. Here are some simple tips to show kindness to others.

· Buy someone else’s coffee in line
· Pick up the phone and call a friend or family member who you have not spoken to in a while
· Smile or say Hello to someone random you come across
· Offer to help a friend or neighbor with grocery shopping, yard work, baby sitting
· Be Respectful, say please, thank you, let others go before you in line
· Volunteer your time or donate to a local charity or non-profit
· Make and send a care package to someone who needs it

The mission for this year’s World Kindness Day is to highlight the importance of empathy, understanding, and cooperation to create a more harmonious and caring world. Even small acts of kindness have big impact. What do you do to spread kindness?