What To Do This Thanksgiving Weekend + The Star Movie Review

Today has started the holiday season for my family. A week out from Thanksgiving, and we’re going to celebrate from now until Epiphany.

Not kidding.

My parents arrived from Colorado this afternoon, and we’ve had wine, and we’re making plans for what to do and what to eat this weekend. This will be our Thanksgiving together, rolling into a 13th birthday, followed by my in-laws (the entire side of the family! For the first time in several years!) coming for Thanksgiving, and then we’ll wrap up November with an 8th and 10th birthday for my son and my niece. Then it’s Advent.

So, yes, my family is full-swing in holiday and birthday season.

And it’s about time I do the usual routine in which I pretend to have it all together and plan some fun and heartwarming activities.

-Last year I made these Thankful Tags, which I’ll print again and start a thankful garland for 2017.

-This year, there’s talk of a beach visit, or trip to a quaint Dutch-inspired town nearby, instead of shopping on Black Friday.

-It’s always delightful to spend time in God’s great playground, the outdoors. I love the Opt Outside movement.

-My kids are campaigning for a movie trip, to see the new family Christmas movie, The Star.
I just might oblige them.

Why, when we’re such a gung-ho Netflix family, would I take a gaggle of children to a theater to watch a movie? (yes, I’m a bit crazy. That’s not the answer here.)

It’s a sweet movie about the animal’s adventures to meet the Christ, whom some expected to be coming sometime, and whom some had no idea was coming ever.

In The Star, an ambitious donkey thinks there’s change in store for himself when he see the new star in the sky. The story of his adventures to leave his dull work as a miller’s donkey, escape from Herod’s soldiers’ mean dogs, and befriending a sheep along the way will have all ages laughing and waiting to see if Bo meets the Baby Jesus.

I enjoyed the change in the characters through the story, as God works in their lives. We all know the Christmas story. This story creatively brings to life the challenges Mary and Joseph faced, the relationships of each person with God and with each other, and even touches on how God can work miracles in the hardest of hearts.

Will children get all the deeper themes, like miracles in hard hearts? They just might. The Star is family movie worth watching together, enjoying over and over, and even using as a learning tool. With the release of the movie, the The National Conference of Catechetical Leadership has provided this free curriculum for Catholic families to use and grow together in faith this Advent season. I love the themes included, the activities to try as a family, prayer, Scripture to read, even words from Pope Francis are included to enrich our appreciation for the season and the miracle of Christ’s birth.

Wondering what ages will most appreciate this movie? Certainly it appeals to elementary and younger aged children most, although after seeing some clips with me, my tweens are the two who keep asking to see the full movie. It’s sweet, silly, and enjoyable. Let me know what you think if you watch it, and keep the free PDF on hand for future years, too!