Unlike weddings and funerals, Thanksgiving is the one occasion each year solely designed to bring family and friends together for the pure joy of being together. We gather around the table, enjoying a scrumptious meal, perhaps tippling a bit, but mostly telling stories, laughing at really bad dad jokes, maybe arguing about the Cubs. Sometimes the table talk can spiral downward, usually over politics or money.
But in its best version, the preferred dinner table theme is one of positivity, and going around the table talking about those things each of us is grateful for is a good way to kick off the conversation. How often do we get a chance to do that?
Reliving funny Thanksgiving Day memories of sitting at the kid’s table, or discussing old family mysteries perhaps, talking about childhood heroes, listening to Aunt Sheila tell us what it was like growing up in the “olden days,” and sharing our hopes and dreams are all good ways to deepen the bonds between us.
This year, if you’re feeling especially chatty, why not take it a step further and record your stories as part of StoryCorps' Great Thanksgiving Listen 2024?
StoryCorps is a nonprofit organization that captures and preserves stories from everyday people across the country. All you need is a recording device (even a phone will do) and a willing relative or friend ready to share their tales.
Your one-on-one interview recording will be added to the archive at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress, the largest single collection of human voices ever gathered. Select stories will be shared with the public through StoryCorps’ podcast, radio broadcasts, animated shorts, digital platforms, and best-selling books. (Once you create an account with StoryCorps, you can control access to your recordings, making them available to the general public, or only to other StoryCorps members, or private and accessible only by you.)
Recording and sharing your stories, memories, and wishes on StoryCorps, may become a whole new family Thanksgiving or Friendsgiving tradition from now on!
:-) Please share this post with any of your family or friends who like to talk!
Photo: Envato Elements
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