Fall into the Thanksgiving Spirit with a craft activity for the whole family.  We will be making pinecone turkeys to take home and decorate your space.

Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War by Nathaniel Philbrick. Every November Americans celebrate Thanksgiving as a national holiday of feasting and school children are taught the story of the Pilgrims who arrived on the ship Mayflower in 1620 and settled New England. In this well-researched historical narrative Nathaniel Philbrick fleshes out the background of this American story and its underlying issues of race, violence and religion which began long before the landing of the Mayflower and continued for decades after the first Thanksgiving. The Pilgrims (not all religious separatists) at first kept a tenuous but peaceful relationship with Native Americans.  Both groups were decimated by disease, and soon were at war with one another.  This is the book to read if you want to know the adult version of the widely publicized, but probably not the first, Thanksgiving.

Interview with Nathaniel Philbrick

Thanksgiving is next week and my mind is on it.  We've got some books that can help you prepare for the holiday whether you are cooking, decorating or traveling.  We've even got some things on how to deal with your relatives!

Cooking: 

I'll mention Paula Deen as someone who's cooking I am trying not to emulate.  But if you are interested - we've got Paula Deen Celebrates!.  Her cooking tends to use a lot of butter and is delicious but not necessarily healthy!

What I'm thinking more about is the Cooking Light Holiday Cookbook or Hungry Girl Happy Hour: 75 recipes for amazingly fantastic guilt-free cocktails and party foods.

Decorating:

I remember making a pinecone turkey for a Thanksgiving centerpiece as a kid.  Kids crafts for Thanksgiving have gone way beyond that!  Check out All New Crafts for Thanksgiving or Thanksgiving Day Crafts.  For the grown-ups, check out Martha's Classic Thanksgiving on DVD.

History:

Thanksgiving is based in the history of our country.  I have always been moved by the story of Squanto.  This is definitely one to share with your children, to give the holiday more perspective.  Check out The Story of Squanto: first friend to the pilgrims.  And your kids will love Two Bad Pilgrims - the story of John and Francis Billington who were two brothers who arrived on the Mayflower.  They caused a lot of trouble back in the day and this book shares some of their hilarious exploits in a comic book format.

Relationships:

Deborah Tannen's I Only Say This Because I Love You may be an inroads to understanding some family relationship issues.  Listen to David Sedaris' Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim to gain some perspective, have a lot of belly laughs and feel better about your loved ones.

Travel:

It may be a little late for major trips, but with a few days off, you might take a day trip with your family or friends.  Fun with the Family in Northern California, Best Places in Northern California and Grassroutes Northern California Wine Country are just a few of the many books we have on travel in the area. 

Whatever your plans are for next week - here's wishing you alll a Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is just around the corner and that means that the annual Applied Materials Silicon Valley Turkey Trot is quickly approaching. Make this fun morning run a part of your Thanksgiving tradition with your family and friends.

This race attracted over 11,000 participants in 2009 and race organizers are anticipating over 15,000 runners in 2010. You can run or walk either the five kilometer course or the ten kilometer course. There is also a Kids Fun Run later in the morning.

The highlight of this race day for me has always been watching the elite men and women race after the citizens’ races. The elite race has attracted participants from around the world and the times are very fast.

Check out the San Jose Public Library for a wide range of materials on running for novices to veterans.

Happy Thanksgiving and join the fun in downtown San Jose on Thanksgiving morning at the Turkey Trot.

A flock of colorful turkeys has descended on the Glen just in time for Thanksgiving! Check out the feathered friends' temporary living quarters in the Children's Room at the Willow Glen Branch Library. You'll find them roosting on the East wall, under the old oak tree. The gorgeous gobblers were provided by the Kindergarten students at nearby St. Christopher School. Special thanks to teachers Ms. Ann Lane, Mrs. Rosann Filice, and Mrs. Cathy McKeever and to all the students for brightening up the wall with their watercolors.

Hey, kids! If you want to create beautiful watercolors of your own, check out these helpful Art Lessons for Children DVDs (three volumes to choose from); or this book: Painting With Watercolors, by Paige Hensen.