Each October, Canadians, including members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, gather to celebrate Thanksgiving, a holiday rooted in harvest traditions and the spirit of gratitude. This holiday remains a cherished occasion for families and communities to come together, share meals and reflect on the blessings of the past year.
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Canada Newsroom staff recently invited Elder James E. Evanson and his wife, Sister Jody Evanson, to share their thoughts about Thanksgiving. Elder and Sister Evanson are from Lethbridge, Alberta.
Elder Evanson was called as a General Authority Seventy in April 2025 and named as the second counsellor in the newly formed Canada Area for the Church, established August 1, 2025. He serves alongside Elder Vern P. Stanfill, area president, and Elder D. Martin Goury, first counsellor.
Can you tell us a bit about your Thanksgiving traditions?
Sister Evanson:> Our Thanksgiving traditions are probably a lot like many of yours. We love turkey, and we love pumpkin pie, and we love getting together with family.
Our traditions have changed over the years as our children have changed in ages. When our boys became teenagers, a lot of football was involved in our Thanksgiving traditions as well.
When we lived in the United States for a time, we started a new tradition of celebrating both Canadian and American Thanksgiving. We find that, with every passing year, sometimes our traditions change, so it’s never too late to start a new tradition.
Being grateful helps me to see the little miracles that happen in my life.
Elder Evanson: One Thanksgiving tradition we’ve always had is to just sit around our table as a family and share the things that we’re grateful for. We usually had our Thanksgiving dinner on Sunday, which helped us remember what we’re most thankful for, our Saviour, Jesus Christ.
We’ve always celebrated Thanksgiving on the more traditional side on Sunday, in conjunction with going to church and worshipping our Saviour. We leave the more active side for Monday, when we invite friends and family and often end up, like Jody said, playing some football.
What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving?
Elder Evanson: This year, I am grateful for a new Canada Area. This is new for me and the rest of the Area Presidency. We are grateful for this opportunity to serve in Canada. We can see the hand of the Lord in what is happening here.
This year, I am particularly grateful for the opportunity to just remember, to simply stop and take a moment to remember what Heavenly Father has given us, even in hard times.
I remember back in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, President Russell M. Nelson invited all of us at one point to spend a week on social media, just posting things we were grateful for in the middle of the pandemic. And I just remember how that helped us to really remember the blessings we had, even when we were going through a really hard struggle.
I remember his promise to us that if we did that, we would feel better about things afterwards and that we’d have a better appreciation for what Heavenly Father has given us.
Canadian Latter-day Saints are feeling grateful for the new Canada Area. What are your hopes for the Canada Area as you begin this new calling?
Elder Evanson: With the creation of the new area for the Church in Canada, the area presidency is working to share messages of unity across congregations and across the country. One of the focuses that we have is to unify Canada.
Sister Evanson: I’m grateful for this beautiful country that we live in. I’m grateful for the great diversity of people we see in Canada and in each of our congregations. You’ll see people of all different colours, all different dress, all different cultures. And it is such a joy to all come together because we love the Lord. I’m grateful for the message that Jesus Christ teaches us that we should live together in love, and we do that by creating unity with those around us.
Elder Evanson: We hope to help people’s hearts be knit together in love as we’ve been asked to do by the Saviour. I am grateful for my Heavenly Father and for the opportunity we have to serve in this great country of Canada.