“We’re going to read some Thanksgiving stories today, my friends. Do you know what we do on Thanksgiving?”
“Eat turkey.”
“Have some Grandmas.”
“We have a Grandma, too. She brings presents and she doesn’t like our dog.”
“OUR GRANDMA IS DEAD.”  “Oh, honey. I’m sorry. Do you think about her sometimes? “No, she’s dead. We went to the saddery and everything.” “The cemetery? That’s a nice place to go remember people.” “And then we had ice cream and I like ice cream but mostly cake.”

 
 

“Our story today is about a family that gathers around a table that their Grandpa made himself, and everyone brings something special to share for the feast. What would you like to bring to share with your family this Thanksgiving?”
“I would bringed macaroni”. “Macaroni and cheese?” “No, macaroni. Butter is ok but my little brother is not a cheese brother. He poops a lot. And he takes my Hot Wheels, but it’s ok because he is little and I take them back.”
“I would bring a turkey, but not to eat. Just to play with.”
“I like candy. We could bring some candy.”
“I would bring dinosaurs.”
“In this story, every person in the family has something on the table that is special to them. Do you have special things that you like to share with your family?”
“I will share my food with the dog, but he spits it out sometimes.  And I will share my toys.”
“My hamster is good, and they can look at him, but don’t put your fingers there because he might bite you.”
“My mom shares my trick-or-treat candy.”
“So, for our craft today, I thought we could make some lanterns to decorate our Thanksgiving tables. I have some jars, and we are going to cover them with glue. Then we’ll stick the colored tissue paper on the jars, like this. After the jar is all covered with the colored squares, then we’ll paint another layer of glue on top. You can add some sparkles, too, if you like. When it dries, it will be shiny, and we’ll tie a ribbon around the top.  Then we will put a candle inside, and when you light the candle, it looks like this.  Do you like it? Would you like to make one, too?”

“Oh, that’s fire!”
“You shouldn’t touch fire, or make fire.”
“My dad makes fire, but he uses the squirt stuff to make it go big. And then he cooks stuff on it.”
“We have fire in our fireplace if we push the button.”
“This is a candle, and only grownups should light them. I wanted you to see how nice it looks, though, so I brought my special lighter from home. Would you like to make one of these lanterns for your table?”
“That is messy.”
“My mom won’t let me make that. She has no paychecks with crafts.”
“Can I put sparkles on it?”
“I want to make some for some sad people.”
“Lets come over to the tables, and push our sleeves WAAAAAAY up. Then we’ll put on some smocks.”
“I don’t have sleeves. Just a shirt. And my shoes light up when I jump!”

“I want to sit in the blue chair.”
“Dinosaurs do not need smocks. But sparkles are OK.”

“Mrs Cyn-fee, this glue is very stick. And look! My fingers are sticking!”
“Yes, this is a very sticky glue. We can wash our hands when we’re done, but sometimes it’s good to get messy when you are being an artist.”
“I am the artist ALL THE DAYS.”

“I am never ever this much artist at home. This is the sticky most jar I ever painted.”
“You are doing a very nice job. I like the colors that you are using. They make me think of the fall leaves on the trees.”
“I am always thinking things.”
“Yes, I can tell that you are thinking a lot. It’s good to think, isn’t it? There are so many interesting things in the world, and you have good ideas.”
“It’s good to stick. I am sticky think.”

“Friends, these are beautiful lanterns. It makes me happy to think about all of them on your tables during Thanksgiving, and I think they will make other people happy, too. I’m proud of all your hard work today.”
“I did a good job. You did a good job, too. We are both good jobs.”
And for stories and the people that make them, and all things that stick, especially friends and family, I am also very thankful this season. Let’s stick together another year, shall we?