I’m joining forces with some AMAZING bloggers to bring you some fabulous Thanksgiving Ideas. Everything from what to wear to kids’ crafts, we’ve got you covered!
Today I’m sharing Thanksgiving Traditions!
I absolutely love hearing what other families’ do to celebrate the holidays. I’m sharing a little peek into our Thanksgiving traditions and a few other ideas I found as well. 🙂
*After eating a big meal, we have two options…sit down and fall asleep or get moving. Last year, we all took a walk after our meal to get outdoors for a bit. It was nice to see neighbors celebrating Thanksgiving and just be outside!
*At our house, we’re quickly approaching the age of a family Thanksgiving football game. Tab and his cousins always had a football game at the local high school field on Thanksgiving when he was growing up. He still talks about it to this day. It was called the “Turkey Bowl” and winning team had bragging rights for an entire year! Doesn’t that sound fun??
*This is a new one the Slaughters are trying this year!! To keep kiddos busy while you’re completing the finishing touches on your meal, have the children write thank-you notes to friends and family they’re thankful for. You can mail them later that day.
*The last couple years we’ve had MOVIE NIGHT at the theaters the night before Thanksgiving. This gives the ladies a chance to get a heads start on Thanksgiving meal preparations by sending the men and children off to watch a new movie. The Good Dinosaur is a new one that will be out this year. The men will be taking our kiddos to see it on Wednesday night so we can get lots of cooking finished early.
*I did something very similar to this three years ago. (My kids were clearly too young to “get it” then, so I need to pull it back out.) You can do it two ways. One way is to daily write one thing you’re thankful for and tie it on the tree. On Thanksgiving or the night before, you can read all the things your family wrote over the month. Or…(this is how I did it) I made “Thankful Garland”. I used grapevine garland and clothespinned (yea, that’s a word) leaves I’d cut out of cute fall paper. On the leaves, I wrote an activity for each day that showed we were thankful for something. Like…write a friend a thank-you note for being so sweet to you or call your grandma to tell her “thank you” for being so awesome. You get the idea. My kiddos were too young three years ago, but they’d totally get it now. Since we’re already a little close to Thanksgiving, you could just let everyone at your Thanksgiving meal write something they’re thankful for and add it to the tree.
*This is a Thanksgiving tradition in my extended family. This happens at my grandma’s house on Thanksgiving every year and Christmas too. (We’re usually only there on Christmas.) We have lots of musically talented people in the group (I am NOT one of them. Sidenote…I was in choir and even made All-District in high school, but if I had to sing a song for you right now. It would NOT be good. Don’t know what happened?). Someone plays the piano or the guitar and we sing some Christmas songs. That’s all fun and games.
Then…we sing “Twelve Days of Christmas” and you get assigned a day!! (Usually you get to double or triple up because there are so many people..but still!) So for instance, if you happen to be “FIVE GOLDEN RINGS”….you and maybe one or two others will be the ONLY people singing. You guys know the song, right? You’re supposed to HOLD those notes out a while, if you get what I’m saying?? Not good for Erika!! This is what I look like when it’s my turn…
I CANNOT stop laughing!!! When I have to sing my part, it sounds horrible and I LAUGH!!! And laugh and laugh! My nervous laugh ALWAYS comes through!! I’m sure I let my Grandma down every year…sorry, Grandma!! But…I can’t help it!
I realize it sounds like I’m complaining when you’re reading this, but it really is a fun tradition. I LOVE that we do something that’s just special to our family. I’m already looking forward to it…unless I get assigned “FIVE GOLDEN RINGS”!! 🙂
I hope you found a new Thanksgiving Tradition you might want to try this year! I’d LOVE to hear from you!! What does your family do every year that’s just special to you? Please share!
And don’t forget to check out more Thanksgiving Ideas from these awesome ladies…
Hostess Ideas…..Thuy www.heythuy.comTablescape …Taryn www.designdininganddiapers.com
What to Wear…..Ashley FancyAshley.com
Appetizer….Sandy www.sandyalamode.com
Side Dish….Jennifer www.lifeinthegreenhouse.com
Traditions…Erika www.tabanderika.blogspot.com
Drink/Cocktail Molly www.stilettosanddiapers.com
Drink/Cocktail Ashley www.iloveyoumorethancarrots.com
Kids Craft…Andrea www.momfessionals.com
Kids Craft…Ashley www.thevanillatulip.com
Dessert…Destiny www.justdestinymag.com
Hostess Ideas…Heather www.mylifewellloved.com
Have a GREAT day!! XOXO
Great ideas!! We usually take a nap…. 🙂
I am laughing so hard at the "five golden rings" thing! What a fun tradition!
Sooo fun!! And I would laugh too. Ha!!! We always had to sing at my grandparents in order to unwrap gifts.
Ours is totally location-specific I know, but we have a tradition that some good family friends take our two boys to Disney the day before Thanksgiving (we're local and we all have annual passes). Last year while the kid were gone, my husband and mom and I went Christmas shopping for them, and this year we might do the same or we might tag along. It's SO fun! If we have to suffer through 90 degree Novemebers, we're at least doing it at Disney!
I loved reading this. With just moving and not spending the holidays with family anymore we are definitely looking for some new traditions to make with our family!
I'm going to make you sing next time we do lunch. Yep, you're gonna have to sing for your queso.
Totally picturing you singing!!
Now, I totally want to hear you sing FIVE GOLDEN RINGS! I love all of these traditions! Need to incorporate a few!! XO!