AndiI love Thanksgiving!!! The food is amazing. I mean seriously, a day when it’s acceptable to gorge on all the food goodness! Turkey, potatoes, pumpkin pie, all the casseroles, pumpkin pie, and other yummies. Did I mention pumpkin pie??? My favorite thing however is spending time with my family! Over the years we’ve started new traditions just for this holiday. Here are some ideas to inspire your own fun family Thanksgiving traditions.
Fun Family Thanksgiving Traditions:
1. Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
We put this on every year. A few years ago we were fortunate enough to be able to see it live. Awesome experience! My kids were more into it when they were younger Now they don’t pay attention to it much, but it’s still part of our day.
2. Share What We’re Thankful For
Kind of self explanatory. I think it’s very important to remember what this holiday is about . We are very blessed and sometimes it’s easy to forget. Thanksgiving is a perfect time to remember all that you are thankful for.
3. Football!!!
We’re big Dallas Cowboy fans here, well my husband is which makes me one by default. Since the Cowboys always play on Thanksgiving, the big game is a part of our day. I know families who also play touch football at a park every year. I think that could be a fun thing to start. Work off those calories after dinner!
4. Play Games
We have extended family over for the day and love to play games together with them. We’ll try out new games or play some of our favorites like Uno, Clue, Phase 10 or Apples to Apples.
5. Charlie Brown Thanksgiving
We watch the Great Pumpkin and Charlie Brown Thanksgiving movies. Then we enjoy the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving Feast: Toast, pretzels, popcorn, jelly beans and ice cream. It’s a perfect dinner since we’re still kind of full from the huge lunch. We have done this the evening before Thanksgiving as well, since the day of can be busy.
6. Host A Family / Friend For Dinner
We don’t do this every year, but have for many Thanksgivings. If one of us knows that some one else will be by themselves on Thanksgiving, we always invite them over to celebrate with us.
7. Black Friday Shopping
We used to get all the ads and come up with a game plan for the next morning- Black Friday. Since it’s changed to Thanksgiving shopping, we don’t get into quite as much. I don’t want to be shopping on Thanksgiving. We’ll still look and make a plan for Friday morning if the deals are good. If your family loves shopping, you can definitely make this a part of your evening.
8. Thanksgiving Dinner – One of the Best Thanksgiving Traditions
Everyone has their own spin on the Thanksgiving meal. Ours is turkey, mashed potatoes, two different kinds of stuffing, corn casserole, peas, rolls, pumpkin pie and pecan pie. These are the staples. Others will bring different sides, so we’ll also have mac n cheese, casseroles and/ or a salad plus a variety of other desserts. Make dishes that have been in your family for years or create your own and pass it down. One of my friends makes all her food a couple days before, so she’s not in the kitchen missing out all day. Better yet, do it potluck style, so no one is doing all the cooking. You can even turn it into a competition: Best dessert or side dish.
9. Start Decorating for Christmas
We are one of those families that wait till Thanksgiving before decorating for Christmas. I know, one of the few. We start playing Christmas music and then bust out the decorations. If you can’t possibly wait that long, another idea is to decorate the tree on Thanksgiving. Save the best for last.
10. Turkey Trot
This a new one we’re adding to our Thanksgiving traditions. Exercise and family bonding- perfect! These are short enough that you don’t have to train for it and can even walk them. Most cities will have a 5K going on, so check it out!
These are 10 Thanksgiving traditions ideas to help you get started on creating your own fun Thanksgiving. I encourage you to create your own unique ones as well. Your kids will remember the fun memories they create.
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