A Time to Give – Thanksgiving

How it All Began

What began as Pilgrims and Indians sharing food at dinner to symbolize peace and harmony is now a tradition celebrated wholeheartedly in many countries across the globe. Friends and family get together to celebrate and show gratitude for the things they have.

Thanksgiving is also a time of displaying generosity and affection towards the less fortunate – helping people who don’t get to eat or don’t have a roof over their heads. A great deal of folks strive to do good and take cooked dishes to the homeless, cook for a fundraising event or donate generously to charity in the form of food and other gifts.

Thanksgiving is a fun and festive time to celebrate the good things in life as you eat away great food and catch up with friends and family. But that’s not all there is to it. Let’s take a look at some ways to really make the most of Thanksgiving and make it a memorable one.

Helping the Less Fortunate

It’s no surprise that folks get wrapped up in the joy of buying each other gifts and spending a relaxing day with relatives, or binge over their favorite Thanksgiving food. Since it’s a time of showing thankfulness and appreciation, why not reach out to families that really need help or aren’t privileged enough to help themselves?

If you have plenty of food to go around on the Thanksgiving table, you can certainly cook some more, store it in cans or containers and give it out to less fortunate families who really deserve it. There are special programs or charities in your area that help you do just that. Get in touch with them and donate generously. You could also go to a nursing home, a shelter or organization for handicapped children, and make their day with gifts and yummy delights.

Thanksgiving is a chance to appreciate one of the greatest gifts given to us by the grace of God: people. Let’s show our gratitude by displaying love, care and affection towards those who truly deserve it.

Family and Friends

Thanksgiving is not just meant to be celebrated among family members. Reach out to close friends, or get in touch with an old friend or acquaintance. Rekindle old relationships; you never know, you just might make someone’s day. The word family can easily be used in a broader sense to accommodate people who care for you and want the best for you. Reach out and touch somebody’s heart.

Get Moving

Thanksgiving is generally a signal for most people to wind down, relax, enjoy great food and take in the company of their friends and relatives. Why notrationalize all that lovely Thanksgiving binge eating with some exercise? Many towns have Turkey Day races to raise funds for charities.

Charity runs not only make for great outdoor exercise, but you’re doing it for a good cause. So know that your effort and physical labor is going into feeding and providing for a needy child or family.

Some 'healthy' vegetable oils may actually increase risk of heart disease

Some 'healthy' vegetable oils may actually increase risk of heart disease

Halloween Safety – General Tips

As Halloween season nears, it is perfectly natural to have some concerns as a responsible parent. It’s important for everybody to have fun, with the least amount of stress or worries. Take a look at some of these safety tips.

Costumes

Your child’s movement shouldn’t be restricted at all. Avoid costumes that have pieces of cloth dangling to the ground or any add-ons that may cause your child to trip and fall.

Try out the costume before Halloween just to make sure it fits.

Make use of face paint instead of masks, as they can restrict vision. If you must use masks, make sure the eyeholes and nostrils are large enough so as to prevent any constriction at all.

Certain face paints may cause an allergic skin reaction. Paint a small area on your child’s face several days prior to Halloween just to make sure there are no allergic reactions. If there are, you can get in touch with a dermatologist or switch to a different brand.

Costumes ought to be clearly visible at night. Make your child wear reflective tapes or vests on the costume so they can be fully visible to drivers or motorists.

All costumes must be flame-retardant. There should be a label on the costume that says so. This includes wigs and bags.

Avoid all “weapon” or weapon-like costume add-ons; swords, knives or any pointed objects should naturally be made of flexible material or avoided altogether.

The costume should be weather-appropriate; not too warm or too cold.

It might be useful to carry a spare “trick-or-treats”. Your child may inadvertently rip it, so always good to have a spare.

Candy

Your child should avoid eating candy until he/she gets home.

As a parent, always check to see if the candy’s been tampered with; if the wrapper’s ripped or open, do not eat it. In some cases, if the candy strikes you as suspicious, do not hesitate to ask the police to look into it.

Avoid having homemade treats or candy.

Just to be extra safe, avoid eating fresh fruit given out during trick-or-treating.

Neighborhood

Always go trick-or-treating in your own neighborhood or one you’re completely familiar with.

Children under the age of 10 should always be accompanied by their parents. Instead of going door-to-door it would be a sound idea to take your children to an organized trick-or-treating event; a nursing home or, say, a shopping mall.

Even if your child is over 10 years of age, never go trick-or-treating alone. Tell your child to go with at least two friends and stick together from the moment they set foot. Parents should know exactly who’s accompanying their child and in what neighborhoods they’ll be trick-or-treating.

Chalk out your route well ahead of time. Parents should know what route their children will be taking, and likewise, every child should be strictly instructed to stick to that route.

Avoid using candles or torches, as they can cause a fire to break out. Don’t touch or play around pumpkins. Only use a flashlight.

Go near houses that have lights on. Stay close to lighted areas. Always approach houses from the front door, never from the side or back.

Never march inside anyone’s house. If nobody comes to the door after ringing the bell twice, wait for a while and leave.

While moving around, walk on sidewalks and driveways. Taking shortcuts through alleys or backyards is not recommended.