Meet Sweet November

Sweet November:

Birthstone--Topaz

Flower--Chrysanthemum

Bird--Turkey??

What I love about November:

1. Halloween is passed and all the creepy fall decorations are gone and all the pretty ones are left.

2. My mom, sister, and I always try to give up sugar from November 1st until Thanksgiving to offset the holiday season. I always fail. But it is always a good bonding experience for the Jordan women. Anyone want to join? No? I don’t blame you.

3. Regular Season begins for college basketball. Go Duke.

4. It’s James Naismith’s birthday month. He INVENTED Basketball. Aka, where would we be without November?? Well, at least for me, I would be nowhere because…

5. My birthday is in November!!

6. Lots of the people I love have birthdays in November.

7. The Berlin wall fell in November.

8. I let myself watch ELF for the first time of the year in November (Then I watch it about 20 times before the year ends…)

9. It’s finally starting to feel like fall.

10. Pumpkin pie, Pumpkin spice latte, pumpkin soup, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin salsa, pumpkins as decorations, pumpkin bars with cream cheese icing, pumpkin gelato. Mmmmm.

11. Christmas music starts the day after Thanksgiving. No earlier, no later.

And, of course...

12. THANKSGIVING!!!!

Now, I know it’s way to early to blog about Thanksgiving. Whatever. It’s my number one reason I love November, so I’m going to. Thanksgiving is my FAVORITE holiday. Here’s why (Other than it sometimes falls on my birthday which is fun!):

I think thanksgiving is one of the last unadulterated holidays. For me Christmas and Easter are the most significant holidays because they are the days we celebrate Christ’s birth and resurrection. Right? Or not. It makes me so frustrated that both Christmas and Easter have turned from days with deep significance to Christians into days about fictional characters and commercialism. I know blah, blah, blah, this girl is just a bitter hater of Santa and the Easter bunny. Fine. BUT, I AM!!

(And yet, I still cry of laughter every time I watch Elf. This girl is also a hypocrite apparently.)

I think that’s why I love thanksgiving though. Thanksgiving has always been about gathering together, with loved ones and family, and remembering all the many things we have to be thankful for. And for the most part, I think that’s still what Thanksgiving is about (except maybe football and the Macy’s parade). It hasn’t been (overly) commercialized apart from the food for the feast, which is where the tradition started anyway. I love having a whole day to remember how very blessed we are. I love having yet another day to be thankful for Christ’s birth and Christ’s resurrection. I love reminding myself every year that I should live life with a thankful heart, and not remember my blessings only when my tummy is full of turkey and sweet potatoes and others’ are grumbling from hunger. It reminds me to be thankful when my cup is empty and thankful when I have plenty. It reminds me that EVERYDAY we should“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.” Psalm 100:4

I am so excited for this Thanksgiving. It is going to be an especially special one for our family. But, you’re right. Too early. I’ll wait till later to blog about it.