Change Up Your Thanksgiving Traditions

Turkey, family, parades, and football games—who doesn’t love a traditional Thanksgiving celebration? Every year, we meet around a table to eat a bountiful meal in honor of all the things we have to be grateful for in our lives. Every family has certain customs that make the holiday special, but if you’re looking for a way to change up your annual routine, here are some fun new traditions to explore this year!

Construct a Gratitude Tablecloth

This is a great way for your family to share blessings while making a keepsake you can use for future holidays. Use a white table cloth and fabric markers, and have everyone write what they are thankful for and sign and date it. Use the same table cloth every year so your family can see what they previously wrote and add new memories.

Build a Family Cookbook

If your family does a potluck-style Thanksgiving, have everyone share the recipe for their signature dish and type (or handwrite) them up to be compiled into a special family keepsake cookbook. From Aunt Cindy’s famous dressing to Grandma’s pecan pie, your family can pass down recipes for future generations the old-school way.

Trade Pumpkin Pie for Fortune Cookies

Give yourself a break and skip the hassle of cooking (and washing dishes) by grabbing takeout. Sometimes the stress of preparing a huge meal can take away from your family time. Allow yourself a break from this every couple of years—just make sure there’s a restaurant in your town open on the holiday (many Asian restaurants are!).

Volunteer

Serve Thanksgiving dinner at a local homeless shelter as a family. It will warm your heart to help others while teaching your little ones the importance of giving to those less fortunate.

What does Thanksgiving mean to you? We’d love to hear some of your family’s traditions! Have a happy and healthy holiday!