9 Thanksgiving Traditions To Start This Year
Do you have Thanksgiving traditions that you observe each year?
Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays with time-honored traditions that we observe every year.
One tradition that we have is that we have certain dishes each year. One of the dishes that we always have is sweet potato casserole. We tried doing without it one year. Even though it is not really a favorite dish for anyone, several people were asking why we didn’t have it anymore so it was added back to the menu.
There are certain serving dishes that get used because they were my Grandmother’s and it brings back the memories that we made when she was with us. There are certain salt and pepper shakers, platters, and cranberry sauce dishes that she used. It’s comforting to see them brought out and used.
The television is always turned on and football is always watched after the afternoon meal. Most of the time this is when our families “unofficial” tradition takes place — usually, someone falls asleep.
Each year we try to do or add something different. Some ideas stick and become a tradition and some become just a memory for a good story years later. You know … “Remember when we tried to do _______ that one year.
We thought we’d share some of the ideas that we have come up with for this year.
Volunteer somewhere on Thanksgiving Day.
Volunteer at the local Meals on Wheels, the soup kitchen or a church that is serving meals on Thanksgiving Day. Thanksgiving is a great time to give back and help someone.
Do it as a group and brighten someone’s day.
Visit a hospital or nursing home.
Each holiday there are people in the hospitals and nursing homes that do not have anyone come to visit them on Thanksgiving. There are also families in the hospital waiting rooms that will have to eat the Thanksgiving dinners the cafeterias prepare.
Consider taking some time on Thanksgiving Day to go and visit someone in the hospital or nursing home that might be alone. Give them a hug and take a few minutes to have a short conversation with them. It will go a long way to help them not feel so lonely on a holiday when most people are with their family.
Take a meal to a family or two in the waiting room and help ease the stress of being in the hospital on Thanksgiving.
Change the time you have the Thanksgiving meal.
Back in the day, most families lived in the same town or area. These days that’s no longer the case.
When people come back to their hometown to visit they may have a lot of different houses to visit on Thanksgiving Day.
Why not start a new tradition and change the time for your Thanksgiving meal to later in the afternoon? Or maybe, you might consider having a Thanksgiving breakfast instead. Another idea would be to have family Thanksgiving dessert instead of the family meal.
Most people are off from work Thanksgiving weekend. You could move your entire Thanksgiving meal to a different day than the traditional Thursday.
Make a keepsake out of a Thanksgiving tablecloth.
Instead of your usual tablecloth, cover a table in brown paper or a white tablecloth that you can write/draw on. Place glasses filled with markers around the table. Ask everyone to draw a picture of something they are thankful for.
It’s a great memento to bring out each year.
Decorate a “Thankful Jar”.
Use a mason jar and decorate it in fall colors. Place slips of paper and pens nearby and ask people to write down what they are thankful for this year and then drop it in the jar. (They can remain anonymous if they’d like).
After Thanksgiving dinner, gather together and read the slips of paper.
Make a video call to those who are not able to be with you this Thanksgiving.
Make a video call with family members who live far away.
Families don’t always live in the same town/state/country and can’t get together for the holidays. But you can still get together on Thanksgiving Day — just get together virtually! Make a video call either before or after dinner. A good time to make the video call is during the time when you read the “Thankful jar”. Another good time is during the prayer.
Make a special dish in memory of someone.
My sister always made Chocolate Pecan Pie at Thanksgiving. My mom always made “Orange Congealed Salad”. They are no longer with us.
Neither dish has been on the menu at my house for Thanksgiving but this year (if I can find the recipe) we will be making both in their memory.
It’s a great Thanksgiving tradition to add and a way to remember them and be thankful for all the times we had together.
Go outside and take a walk after dinner.
Between Thanksgiving dinner and dessert, go for a walk with some of your loved ones. Get your blood flowing and walk off some of the big meal you just ate. Say hello to some of your neighbors.
Watch a movie together.
Go to the movie theater and watch the latest family movie.
The theaters get crowded during the holiday season. Try to pick a theater that will let you purchase tickets ahead of time.
If this isn’t an option, stay home and watch a family movie on Amazon Prime Video.
What do you think about starting a new Thanksgiving tradition?
Thanksgiving traditions help keep memories alive and also create new ones for those who are younger.
Do you have a favorite Thanksgiving tradition? Is it one from your childhood? Are you going to try to make some new traditions? If so, what are they?