Thanksgiving traditions

[scrappnmom]

Hi all! I did not grow up with any Thanksgiving traditions. I know have my own son, 3-1/2. I'm having my brother and his family and my mom and her boyfriend and my cousin over for Turkey day dinner. I would like to start some tradition(s) so that my son will grow up with traditions. Any ideas out there? Thank you in advance for your suggestions!

 

[Connie of Trenton]

We have certain food traditions and also after dinner we play a game called "Scattergories".

 

[mommytotwo]

We do the traditional foods along with some others things that I make, and this year since my daughter is able to do art things, I will have her put something together for us around the house, and maybe even start her with making a Thanksgiving dessert every year.

 

[di17090]

While the men watch football, the women play Scrabble. We have a blast. And you'd think we were the ones watching football as loud as we get. Before the first game is over, most of the men are in the kitchen watching us for entertainment!!

Di

 

[Spinning]

we always go to my neighbor's DD for breakfast, homemade sticky buns then we all talk about the sales for the next day.
Dinner varies from year to year never sure where we will be! LOL! but the next day is shopping till you drop, then see Santa come into town and put the CHristmas lights on. Then we all meet at our house for left over! Everyone brings what ever they have left! This is usually about 3 families!

 

[piratesmate]

Do you watch one of the parades on TV? (If you're having people to your house, actually going to a parade is probably out.) That's how we always start the day.

We also watch the first of the Christmas movies/specials for the season. (Having been prepared by Santa's arrival at the end of the parade.) In the evening we always watched The Wizard of Oz or Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory - whichever is being played on TV that year.

At the table, how about having each person name the things for which they are thankful?

Take a family photo when everyone first arrives. Use a tripod & a camera with a delay.

After dinner is cleared, play board games or card games. Or find a simple craft to do together. If you're into the "preparing for Christmas" idea, you could make gingerbread houses using graham crackers & canned icing.

Have your family bring some of the dishes for dinner so that you aren't left with it all to do. It will make it more of a "family" day if each person is more involved. If not food, have them bring candy etc for the gingerbread houses. Maybe one of them could be the "assigned photographer" for the family photo.

Most of all, have fun!!

 

[JudithM]

We have to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade on TV starting with the preshow! And, of course, we HAVE to see Santa at the end. Then we know the holiday season has started!

Last year we started a new tradition - going out to dinner on Thanksgiving with some friends .

 

[scrappnmom]

Wow! Ya'll are giving me some great ideas. I love the family photo once everyone arrives. I am going to try and think up a craft for the women and then the games to get everyone involved will be great! Thank ya'll so much! Keep the ideas coming.

 

[OurDogCisco]

We have a day after Thanksgiving tradition. We don't go shopping too many people. Instead we go up into the mountains with leftover Turkey sandwiches and chopped down our Christmas tree. Then, we come home and start decorating for Christmas. At Thanksgiving, I serve special foods. Usually everyone has their favorite.

 

[TN Traveler]

I could not be one of the ladies that plays Scrabble b/c I'm w/the
men watching football!! I LOVE football. GO UT!! GO TITANS!!

Depending on where we go makes a difference. My cousin's husband and her sons always go hunting on Thanksgiving morning so they usually arrive in their hunting gear. I try to remember to bring pictures from the last year to share w/other family members that I don't get to see much except for holidays and ALWAYS plan the shopping day for Friday. DH ALWAYS ends up napping after dinner.

Karen

 

[Tiggerkeeper]

We kept the kids busy making Pilgrim hats and Indian headbands out of construction paper for everybody while we cooked. Some years they made placemats. Yes, you were required to wear your hat through the prayer!

We still have a "thankful for" prayer.

After dinner we play football or watch football depending on the weather.

Around 5 or 6 we pop in Home Alone or play carols and start decorating the Christmas tree. This was always important to our son so we still do it every year whether he is here or not.

 

[RumpleMom]

Grandma has always had a foil wrapped chocolate turkey at each child's place at the table.

This year we ordered the cutest turkey made from Lego bricks. We will have one bag of bricks at each child's place. They can each put their turkey together after dinner.

 

[scrappnmom]

Thank you all so much! I have gotten some great ideas, i knew i could count on ya'll!
Have a great day!

 

[aimee11621]

At our house its always been abou the food and getting ready for Christmas.

Turkey goes in the oven the house gets rearranged to make room for the tree , football or movies are on it is a down time day for us. Family comes over dinner and maybe finish the christmas decorating.

We are average or below average decorators. The basics go up the tree, lights and some other decorations. Our big thing is to stay home and be TOGETHER.

 

[MerryPoppins]

I have a friend that has a special Thanksgiving tablecloth. She puts out fabric pens and everyone writes the things they are thankful for on the tablecloth each year. It's now covered with beautiful memories in Thanksgiving colors.

She told me that she got the idea from another friend who did something similar. They traced their hands each year, signed and dated them and turned them into thankful turkeys. Each of the turkey's feathers had to have something written on it.

One year we all had colored paper leaves that we wrote what we were most thankful for and as we prayed we stuck them onto a posterboard tree.