A Thankful Teen Thanksgiving at the Library

            The Calhoun County Library held a Thanksgiving Feast for Teen Night last week and gave them a lesson in table etiquette and manners.

Sometimes, when you sit down at a table full of delicious food, the first thing you want to do is dig in! However, on Tuesday, November 19, our teens had to wait and follow a certain protocol using table manners. As they entered “la biblioteca ristorante,” they were greeted by two hostesses.  We decided that we would complete the meal with light piano music to really set the scene. Before their meal, these teens learned the details of the table setting including which fork was the salad fork, which fork was the dinner fork, and where the dessert utensils were placed. They learned a few guidelines like how to properly cut meat, where to put your napkin, what the bread plate is for, and why you have two glasses. Along with that information, they learned not to put their elbows on the table, not to chew with their mouths open, and how to politely ask someone to pass items on the table. During the meal, the teens learned how to have appropriate conversations, such as what they would like to do after completing school and what their hobbies include, as if they were preparing to speak to a date’s parents. Some of these conversations were ones that the teens came up with themselves and some were suggestions that they pulled from a conversation starter cup.

 The teens were seated at a beautifully set table and had a great Thanksgiving feast full of yummy food, great conversations, and interesting facts. We don’t want to make anyone hungry, but we had some excellent mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, rolls, Chick-fil-A chicken nuggets, and more. To top off their meals, teens enjoyed pecan, lemon, cherry, or apple pies. We realized that we all have much to be thankful for, especially our wonderful community of St. Matthews!

If you or someone you know are between the ages of 12 - 17, we would love to have you for the December Teen Nights! On Tuesday, December 3, 2024, we will be making Christmas ornaments. These will be from 5 PM - 6:30 PM.

In the meantime, we hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving and starts to get in the holiday spirit! We hope to see you at Cookies with Santa on Tuesday, December 17, 2024!