10 Simple Ways to Keep Christ at the Heart of Thanksgiving
Inside: Ten simple ways our family keeps Christ at the center of Thanksgiving, from the menu to the conversation around the table.
This season reminds us to “give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). As believers, that should be our heart’s desire every day, but sometimes it can be hard to keep the right focus. It can be especially challenging during the holidays when there’s so much to plan and prepare.
My days leading up to Thanksgiving can get busy because there’s still regular life to deal with. There’s always that joke that we don’t need to eat the day before Thanksgiving. It’s easy to get distracted, and my heart can become impatient or overwhelmed. Then I start complaining about all I have to do, maybe not outwardly, but inwardly. In those moments, I’ve taken my eyes off Christ and put them on myself.
My prayer this Thanksgiving is that we would keep our hearts fixed on Christ and do all things as unto Him. That we would find joy in serving, love others well, and let His great love for us move us to live with thankful hearts—not only on Thanksgiving Day, but every day.
10 Simple Ways to Keep Christ at the Heart of Thanksgiving
1. Begin with Gratitude to the Lord
My morning still starts like any other with time in the Word, and I love to camp in the Psalms on Thanksgiving morning. Psalm 100 is one of my favorites and such a reminder to “serve the Lord with gladness” and to “Enter his gates with Thanksgiving” (Psalm 100:2, 4). I know my day is going to get busy, and there’ll be many tasks on my list, like my least favorite, peeling potatoes! So starting my day with Jesus keeps my mind focused on Him and helps turn those tasks into acts of worship.
2. Choose a Simple, Repeatable Menu
As I’m getting older, I’m learning to slow down and simplify the day. We love eating the same meal each year and look forward to it, so I’ve got the side dishes down pat and don’t have to start over each year. Our menu is turkey (and a little ham for the non-turkey folks), stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, cranberry sauce, sautéed green beans, gravy, rolls, pumpkin pie, chocolate pie, and pumpkin bars for my father-in-love.
I keep a master grocery list divided into perishables and non-perishables in my planner, and because it doesn’t change much each year, it’s easy to update. I shop for non-perishables a week ahead and perishables a couple of days before.
It simplifies the planning and gives me more time to enjoy the day and the people I love.
Our Simple Thanksgiving Traditions
3. Let People Help
It can be easier for me to just do everything myself and not let others help, but when I do let them help and bring something, it not only blesses me, it blesses them too. I love when we go to someone’s home for dinner and they let me contribute. Some of our favorites each year came about from a dish someone else brought, and they’ve been on our table ever since.
As you’re planning your menu, it can help to think ahead about dishes that might be good for others to bring. I even keep a list of tasks for when everyone is over and asks to help. I’m not a good delegator on the spot, so it helps me to have some ideas ready ahead of time.
EP 166: The Beauty of Simple, Faithful Service
4. Keep Traditions That Point to Christ
Here are a few ideas. Some we still do, and some were sweet traditions in an earlier season of our family’s life.
- For a season, we had a Thanksgiving tablecloth that everyone wrote on with a fabric marker, sharing something they were thankful for. It was so fun to look back over the years and see what everyone had written or drawn.
- We also had everyone write a short thank-you note to someone they appreciated.
- During the meal, have each person share one way they’ve seen God’s goodness this year.
- Read a Psalm together before the meal, and pray as a family, thanking God for His many blessings.
5. Encourage Christ-Centered Conversations
I love having conversation starter cards on the table. We write the questions on the back of our place cards, and every year now I let my grandkids pick the questions. My granddaughter loves making the place cards, and my girls love to work on it together.
Here are a few favorites:
- Who is the most grateful person you know and why?
- What’s your favorite Thanksgiving memory?
- What does “give thanks” mean to you?
- What has God taught you about gratitude this year?
We always love hearing Great-grandpa’s answer, because his points back to Jesus and makes us all tear up. We’ll miss him at our table this Thanksgiving, since he went home to be with the Lord earlier this year.
EP 188: Biblically Caring for Our Aging Parents
6. Love the People in Front of You
Our family most wants time to be together and enjoy one another. Take the time to stop and look your child or grandchild in the eye when they’re talking to you. Whatever you’re mixing or fixing can wait a minute or two. This isn’t the time for those heated political discussions, but a time to simply be together.
7. Simplify the Planning with a Thankful Heart
Before I plan anything, I try to begin with prayer and a heart of gratitude. For years I had notes scattered all over, so I put together my Thanksgiving Planning Guide. It’s been such a help to have everything in one place, from all the recipes to a master grocery list and ideas for ways we love to celebrate the day.
It includes practical printables like:
- A Planning Ahead Checklist for each week in November
- Christ-Focused Dinnertime Ideas and Conversation Starters
- Quick Clean and Delegating Checklists
- Simple Centerpiece and Table Setting Ideas
- A Gratitude Journal and After-Thanksgiving Reflection Pages
I created it originally for myself so I wouldn’t start from scratch each year, but it’s become such a help that I wanted to share it with you too. You can find it in my here. It’s 25% off through the end of November, and if you use the link above, the code THANKFUL will already be applied for you.
A favorite book of ours to use each year is A Treasury of Thanksgiving: Illustrated Poetry, Prose, and Praise by Leland Ryken. You can see all ourfamily favorite Thanksgiving reads here.
8. Create a Peaceful Atmosphere in Your Home
I love having the Gettys’ Thanksgiving playlist on Spotify playing in the background, and the house just smells wonderful with the turkey in the oven and the stuffing in my crock pot. Simple touches like fresh flowers on the table can make the day feel special.
I pray our home would be a place of peace for everyone who walks through the door.
9. Keep an Eye Toward the Gospel
If you have family members or friends who don’t know the Lord, begin praying for them now. Pray for gospel opportunities to share with them when you’re together. Loving and serving them well can say more than a formal presentation ever could. So often we forget how powerful it can be to share our testimony, as long as we include the gospel in it.
10. End the Day with Reflection and Rest
When the last dish is washed and everyone has headed home, I like to sit with the Lord, thanking Him for the day, and jot a few memories down or maybe even what I want to do differently or simplify for next year. If you’re using my Thanksgiving planner, there’s a space for this at the end.
A Closing Thought
Even as non-believers, we enjoyed Thanksgiving and gave thanks for each other, but we didn’t give thanks to the Lord or realize that all good gifts come from Him (James 1:17). My in-laws were believers, so we always had prayer before the meal, but reading Scripture together is not something we would’ve done back then.
When Jesus came into our lives after many years of life and marriage and children without Him, He changed everything about celebrating the day. I’m thankful for His undeserved mercy and grace, and I pray I never grow tired of remembering that truth.
What am I most thankful for? Jesus—because He truly is enough, always.
Christ-Focused Thanksgiving Resources
EP 153: Christ-Centered Thanksgiving: Simple Planning and Traditions (lots of resources shared in these show notes and in the episode)
Browse My Favorite Thanksgiving Reads on Amazon
Thanksgiving Resources at the Blog
EP 166: The Beauty of Simple, Faithful Service: A Lesson from Acts 9
Thanksgiving Planning Guide
I put this Planning a Christ-Focused Thanksgiving Mini-Course to help me simplify planning and stay focused on what matters most. It includes printables like planning checklists, conversation starters, Christ-focused table ideas, gratitude pages, and more. Again, the code THANKFUL for 25% off until the end of November will automatically be applied when you click on the image below:
Scriptures for a Thankful Heart
- Psalm 100
- Colossians 3:15–17
- 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18
- Ephesians 5:18–20
- Psalm 103:1–5