Five Kernels of Corn

I love candy corn, and I love traditions, so if I find with a tradition that uses candy corn, I'm doin' it.

Every year my kids make little packets of five candy corns in a piece of netting tied with raffia.

We pass them out to everybody at the Thanksgiving table.  Before anyone takes a bite of the Thanksgiving feast before them, one of us reads this:

Pilgrims had a custom of putting five kernels of corn on each plate before Thanksgiving dinner was served.  In many old Plymouth families, the custom is still followed today.  The five kernels of corn were chosen because prior to the first harvest, things were so bad that the daily ration was five kernels of corn per person per day.  Imagine how grateful the survivors of the first horrible winter were for the abundant first harvest!  The pilgrims put five kernels of corn on their plates to remind them of their great blessings.  Let us also remember.

The first kernel of corn reminds us of the autumn beauty around us.

The second kernel of corn reminds us of our love for each other.

The third kernel of corn reminds us of God's love for us.

The forth kernel of corn reminds us of our friends.

The fifth kernel of corn reminds us that we are a free people.

Another tradition, along the same lines, is the blessing snack mix we make and give to another family.  It is easy, just a matter of dumping the different ingredients together. This is what it says on the tag:

Blessing Mix

This mix was made just for you and your family.

Enjoy it as you discuss the blessings that the ingredients represent.

Bugles (chips)- shaped like cornucopia, it represents the horn of plenty.

Pretzels - represent our arms folded in thanks and prayer.

Candy Corn - during their first winter the pilgrims were each allotted 5 kernels of corn each day as food was scarce.

Dried Fruit - Thanksgiving is the celebration of the harvest.

Nuts and Seeds - Seeds represent the potential of a bounteous harvest for the next season of they are planted well and tended.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Even though this Thanksgiving was the craziest ever for our family, these traditions are too simple and too important not to do.  I'm so glad we did, because this year, more than ever before, we needed to be reminded of how much we have to be thankful for.