Must-do activities in November

November is kind of the stepchild of the calendar, isn’t it? There are few decorations outside the weird pilgrims and happy to be eaten turkeys or native people appropriations, and stores jump from Halloween to Christmas overnight. Thanksgiving is a time of thanks for some, and a time of pain and remembrance for others as genocide is glorified into a symbol of universal brotherhood in school pageants across the country. It’s also a time of Mercury retrograde, if that matters to you. None of these work well with each other, not to mention flu season.  

Since my birthday is in November, I usually focus my activities on the internal level, with lots of journaling and reading when I can. There are still plenty of things to actually celebrate in November, however. Here are a few ideas. What will your family be doing?

Gratitude and Giving: Most people scoff at Valentine’s Day, claiming that you can show your life all year round without a holiday. They are right—and that is how I feel about Thanksgiving. Gratitude is one of the most powerful emotions on earth and it’s one we don’t cultivate as a society. Even so, November is a good time to start a gratitude habit, like a journal, a tree of thanks or another activity with family to help remind you of everything you have. Once you start looking at the world from this way, things really do seem so much better than you previously thought.

Prepare for cold weather: By this I don’t just mean to add insulation to your windows, either. Stock up on soup materials and make or buy a lovely blanket to snuggle under with the people you love. Gather materials to make real hot chocolate; why not try some new ingredients, like cayenne or salt in your cocoa this year? Get together with friends to donate blankets to your local homeless charity group, work at a soup kitchen or deliver meals to elderly neighbors. Help grow and share the warmth as the season grows cold.

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia