Thanksgiving traditions

I’m knee deep in Thanksgiving prep and so I’m rerunning this post from last year about Thanskgiving traditions.

This year we are adding two more: making napkin wrings from bits we have found in nature, starting with small grapevine wreaths we’ll make using wild grape vines we collect, and starting a family holiday journal. The kids are also wanting to make a few crafts and activities from this book about Pioneer Thanksgiving. What about you?

I love everything about Thanksgiving, most especially the idea that we should set aside one day to spend with people we love and acknowledge all the gifts in our lives. I’m also a sucker for traditions and love to read about ways that families bring consistency and celebration into their children’s lives.

Here are a few ideas for activities to celebrate Thanksgiving which may just turn into traditions.

Make a family wreath. When the weather is beautiful (like it is expected to be this weekend) head out for a nature walk together. Along the way gather bits that can be made into a family wreath to decorate your door, or your thanksgiving table. When you come back from your walk, pull out a glue gun and a wreath form and have everyone help put the wreath together.

If you are looking for a way to keep the kids occupied during that last 30 minutes when the meal all comes together, consider a scavenger hunt. It can be as simple as a feather hunt for young ones, or something more complicated for older kids.

Bringing gratefulness to the meal. There are lots of wonderful ways to do this. I love the idea of thankful rolls. I’ve also read about families who add three kernels of dried corn to each person’s plate and pass a small basket around the table before the meal is served so that each person can drop in their kernels and speak about three things they are grateful for. Another family I know has small cards at each place setting, and each person writes the name of the person to their left on the card and then writes something that they love and are thankful for about that person. The cards are passed around the table and each person contributes. At the end, the cards are a lovely momento of the dinner, and more importantly recognition of why each person is special.

This year, I hope to start one of these table cloths for our family. I’ve read about the idea in a number of places and love that they cloth becomes a way to celebrate and remember all the fun of previous holidays.

After dinner it’s nice to keep the family vibe happening. You could break out a board or card game, or start up a game of charades. Or you there are some lovely family oriented games you can play around the table. I like the Family Trivia and the Year That Was games from this site.

However you spend your Thanksgiving, I hope it is full of family memories!