5 Thanksgiving Traditions to Start with your Family

5 Thanksgiving Traditions to Start with your Family

Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday for many reasons.  We gather with family to take a moment to be thankful for all that we have and we EAT!  Of course, we eat delicious foods.  That is the number one tradition of Thanksgiving – just eat!  That is super easy for me to carry out.  Plus, I happen to love turkey, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce (best food combination on the planet).  How about add to your Thanksgiving gathering.  Here are 5 Thanksgiving traditions to start with your family besides just eating:

1. Get some exercise before the big feast – We have run or walked in the Turkey Trot in our local city.  There is a fun run for the younger ones and a 5K for the older ones.  Even just a stroll outside in the crisp Fall air, is a lovely way to be grateful for the beautiful outdoors.
2. Keep a journal each year of what you are thankful for – Print out the I am Thankful Categories game.  Instead of playing the game, write down what you are grateful for under each category.  Write your name and date on the paper.  Toss everyone’s responses in a big envelope and seal it up.  Open it up next year and read out loud what everyone wrote.
3. Take a family photo – Wouldn’t it be nice if every year I remembered to have our photo ready for Christmas cards?  If we do it every year on Thanksgiving it will be all set.
4. Play a game together as a family- Sometimes we toss the football around outside and sometimes we play a game indoors.  Check out Thanksgiving Games to print and start playing right away with a small or large group.
5. Plan for Christmas – every year we pick names for Secret Santa on Thanksgiving Day.  Instead of worrying about everyone getting a gift for each person, we each pick a name and secretly get that one person a present.  It makes shopping at Christmas time less overwhelming.  In addition, we decide what to do with the extended family.  In the past, we have had different themes.  Two years ago we had a homemade gift exchange and everyone had to handmake a gift.  This was so much fun and the gifts were amazing – from homemade hot chocolate to intricate cross stitch designs of a family portrait.

What is your families favorite Thanksgiving tradition?

Thanksgiving Games – This Thanksgiving Games digital download includes 10 awesome games to play during the month of November.  These games are perfect for classroom parties, family fun, rainy days and more!