Want to get away from celebrating Thanksgiving? These Thanksgiving alternatives are ways to keep the celebration without the false history of Thanksgiving.
I love the holiday season. From Halloween through Christmas is my favorite time of the year. There are so many fun activities, and everything feels cozy and festive.
The one thing that has always been a bit hard for me at that time of the year is Thanksgiving. I’m Choctaw, and that has meant Thanksgiving comes with some very complicated feelings.
In the US, we are taught that Thanksgiving is all about the pilgrims and Indigenous people coming together to share a meal. It seems like a happy and fun thing to celebrate, but the real history of Thanksgiving is much darker. I won’t go into the history of Thanksgiving here, but I encourage you to read The True, Dark History of Thanksgiving.
This history and my feelings about Thanksgiving progressed over the years to the point that celebrating Thanksgiving just felt too uncomfortable to be enjoyable.
I didn’t want to throw out all the good, though. The food, celebrating the day with family, and thinking about all the things we are thankful for, those things are all good. And because of that, I’ve changed the celebration to mean something different in my house. We took back the day and no longer focus on a false history but on being thankful and enjoying family.
I’m not asking you to give up Thanksgiving, but if you have also had complicated feelings and want a Thanksgiving alternative, I want to share some ideas for ways to enjoy the day without the dark history.
It is also important to keep in mind that Thanksgiving is a day of mourning for many. Be mindful when talking about the day with Indigenous people.
Festive Thanksgiving Alternatives to Try
Harvest Celebration
Many around the world and even in the US celebrate the harvest around Thanksgiving. It’s a great way to keep a lot of your family traditions, but remove the harmful history of the day.
To have a harvest celebration, simply change the focus from being on this idea of a first Thanksgiving and focus on celebrating and being thankful for all that we have right now and the fall harvest.
Cook seasonal food, decorate with autumn decorations, making sure to skip the stereotypical Thanksgiving decorations. And put a bigger focus on the food and being thankful.
You can get my Ultimate Harvest Celebration Planner to help you plan your first harvest celebration.Â
Macy’s Parade Day
Macy’s Parade Day is my made-up holiday that I started celebrating several years ago as my Thanksgiving alternative. I love Christmas and decorate on November 1st, so a more Christmasy themed day works well.
We start the day by watching the Macy’s Parade and having a simple breakfast, often a cinnamon coffee cake, and enjoying the festively decorated house. I make a pretty traditional Thanksgiving meal, but the dessert is often more of a Christmas dessert, and all the decor is Christmas.
This is a fun option for anyone who loves decorating for Christmas early and needs more of the Christmas season in their life. Be sure to also get my Macy’s Parade Bingo Cards to make the parade watching even better.
A Thoughtful Thanksgiving
You can also keep Thanksgiving, but make it more thoughtful and use it as a learning experience. Make sure to go through all of your decor and remove pilgrims and stereotypical Indigenous decor. Look for more harvest-related decor and consider buying pieces from Indigenous artists.
Take time during the day to discuss the real history of Thanksgiving. This teacher’s guide to teaching Thanksgiving ethically is a great place to start.
Learn about the Indigenous land you are living on. You can find out whose land you are on and look for resources about that tribe. Consider also making one of their traditional dishes to try with your normal meal.
Also, be sure to head to my Instagram to see my post on decolonizing Thanksgiving.
However you choose to make your Thanksgiving celebration more ethical, what is most important is to stop spreading the myth of Thanksgiving and work to re-education yourself on the real history of the time.
Harvest Celebration Planner
I have sold a Thanksgiving Planner for many years, and I have used it as well. You can still get this Thanksgiving planner, but if you are looking to change the way you celebrate, a good option is my new Harvest Celebration Planner.
It contains the same pages as the Thanksgiving Planner but is stripped of Thanksgiving and made more neutral to be used for even autumn celebrations.
Get your Harvest Celebration Planner today and plan your perfect holiday!
More Resources for Your Thanksgiving Alternative
These resources use the title of Thanksgiving, but can be used for any Thanksgiving alternative celebration.
Deanna Piercy says
We usually do watch the parade but I like the idea of making a bigger deal out of it and having a special breakfast. I think I’ll start working on some ideas for that. One thing we like to do is watch Miracle on 34th Street, alternating the old and “new” versions each year.