Thanksgiving

I tend to feel bad for Thanksgiving – it seems to get lumped into that “forgotten holiday” category purely because it’s lodged between Halloween and Christmas. I’ve always been partial to Thanksgiving since I was born the week before, not to mention it includes some of the best eating of the entire year.

This year, I decided to make a Thanksgiving playlist. Using powerful tools such as Pinterest searches and my own music library, I think I made a decent head start that will get added to in years to come. I wanted to share a few of these with you today to get a glimpse of the thought processes, as well as getting everyone in the mood for later on this week. This is definitely NOT the entire playlist – you’d be stuck reading it until next Thanksgiving if it were.

Goodness of God by Bethel Music

The whole Victory album by Bethel Music has been playing almost non-stop on my phone for months now. This song really and truly displays themes of thankfulness, surrender, praise, goodness, and faithfulness, all of which are on the top of many peoples’ minds this time of year. I also happen to be very partial to Jenn Johnson’s voice, making this one of my absolute favorites on the album. With worship songs, I love looking up the scriptures that inspired the lyrics as an additional layer of depth to the experience: Exodus 33:14 The Lord replied, “I will personally go with you, Moses, and I will give you rest – everything will be fine for you.” I love Your voice, You have lead me through the fire/And in darkest night, You were close like no other/I’ve known You as a Father, I’ve known You as a Friend/And I will sing of the goodness of God Psalm 40:9-11 I have told all your people about your justice. I have not been afraid to speak out, as you, O Lord, well know. I have not kept the good news of your justice hidden in my heart; I have talked about your faithfulness and saving power. I have told everyone in the great assembly of your unfailing love and faithfulness. Lord, don’t hold back your tender mercies from me. Let your unfailing love and faithfulness always protect me. Your goodness is running after, it’s running after me/Your goodness is running after, it’s running after me/With my life laid down, I surrender now, I give You everything/’Cause Your goodness is running after, it’s running after me Psalm 146:2 I will praise the Lord as long as I live. I will sing praises to my God with my dying breath. All my life, You have been faithful/And all my life, You have been so, so good/With every breath that I am able/Oh, I’m gonna sing of the goodness of God

Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing by Chris Rice

This hymn is such an absolute classic – if you grew up anywhere around church, this melody will be so familiar to you. This hymn provides us with themes throughout of adoration, praise, faith, trust, the attributes of God, grace, and mercy. Psalm 63:3 Your unfailing love is better than life itself; how I praise you! Oh, that day when freed from sinning/I shall see Thy lovely face/Clothed it then in blood-washed linen/How I’ll sing Thy sovereign grace/Come my Lord, no longer tarry/Take my ransom soul away/Send Thine angels now to carry/Me to realms of endless days Psalm 139:1-4 O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord. Here I raise my Ebenezer/Here by Thy great help, I’ve come/And I hope by Thy good pleasure/Safely to arrive at home/Jesus sought me when a stranger/Wandering from the fold of God/He to rescue me from danger/Interposed His precious blood

Mashed Potato Time by Dee Dee Sharp

What a fun song I found by searching Pinterest for Thanksgiving themed songs! Mashed potatoes happen to be my absolute favorite Thanksgiving food – no one can beat the ones made by the combined efforts of my Poppy and my mom – so an ode to them is right up my alley all day every day. This is a classic 1960’s R&B single, and definitely one you can’t listen to without dancing at least a little bit (or at the very least, tapping your foot). The Mashed Potato started long time ago/With a guy named Sloppy Joe/You’ll find this dance is so cool to do/Come on baby, gonna teach it to you

Better Together by Jack Johnson

This is one of the first songs I think of whenever someone brings up Jack Johnson, no matter if it is over ten years old at this point. Jack Johnson is so relaxing to listen to, and he just puts me in a great mood – so if things are getting a little tense at your Thanksgiving family dinner, maybe throw on some Jack and see if it helps. Couldn’t hurt, right? I believe in memories/They look so, so pretty when I sleep/Hey now and, and when I wake up/You look so pretty sleeping next to me/But there is not enough time/And there is no, no song I could sing/And there is no combination of words I could say/But I will still tell you one thing/We’re better together

With a Little Help From My Friends by Joe Cocker

If you know me personally, it’s no secret that I’m a HUGE Beatles fan. And funnily enough, my first introduction to Joe Cocker was through the movie Across the Universe, whose storyline is based around some of The Beatles’ well-known songs. I actually found a quote from Paul McCartney about Cocker’s version of this song about how much he truly enjoyed the cover for turning it more into a soul song than rock, giving it a different feel from the original while still respecting it, which I can’t help but agree with. This would be a perfect track to play if you’re hosting a Friendsgiving for your non-biological tribe. What would you do if I sang out of tune/Would you stand up and walk out on me/Lend me your ears and I’ll sing you a song/And I’ll try not to sing out of key/Oh baby, I get by with a little help from my friends/By with a little help from my friends/By with a little help from my friends

Biscuits by Kacey Musgraves

I am OBSESSED with Kacey Musgraves right now because this woman is speaking the damn TRUTH in every song she puts out. Biscuits kind of became a personal anthem for me for a while when I was going through a season of both learning to be a little more understanding to those around me as well as how to let things roll off when people turn around and are crappy to you. Plus, it’s got some beautiful one liners in here that you can borrow for those family members that may just really need to hear it this holiday Pouring salt in my sugar won’t make yours any sweeter/Pissing in my yard ain’t gonna make yours any greener/And I wouldn’t know about the rocks in your shoes/So I’ll just do me and honey, you can just do you

The Good Life by Tony Bennett

Tony Bennett has one of the best voices of our time, you can’t change my mind. His version of this song is such a classic staple in easy listening, and listening to it just makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, like cuddling on the couch with my favorite book and blanket while petting my dog. On the flip side of that, lyrically this song is a big reminder that sometimes your “good life” can just be an illusion we create to get by. Don’t let life pass you by while you’re pretending that you have it all, lean on your loved ones when you need them, and then you may really have that “good life” you’ve always wanted. It’s the good life/To be free and explore the unknown/Like the heartaches/When you learn you must face them alone/Please remember I still want you/And in case you wonder why/Well, just wake up/Kiss the good life goodbye

As Thanksgiving Day approaches, be safe, eat lots of delicious food that makes you need a 3 hour nap, watching some good TV in the forms of parades, dog shows, and football games, and hold those you love as close to you as you can.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!