12 Creative & Fun Ways to Celebrate Thanksgiving
Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance, for a grateful heart sees many blessings.
Thanksgiving Day is coming! The perfect holiday for all family members to reunite, eat a special meal together, talk about how life is going, and have fun.
Everyone is living their own lives, which is why holidays like Thanksgiving where families gather should be treasured and made special.
If you’re looking for creative and fun ways to celebrate Thanksgiving, here are 12 ideas for you and your family to try:
Start with a delightful, big breakfast
Start your special Thanksgiving with the most important meal of the day - breakfast.
A delightful, big breakfast will start the day right and will lighten up everyone’s mood.
Replace the usual pancakes and waffles with pie, matched with fresh coffee or hot chocolate topped with marshmallows.
Be creative
Do arts, crafts, and DIYs when setting up the house for Thanksgiving decoration. You can also make or bake these snacks and appetizers as a welcome food for everyone to enjoy.
You can ask the kids for help to boost their creativity as well.
Host a potluck dinner
Remember that it’s okay to ask family members coming over to bring or contribute their own dish for sharing.
Doing this is also a fun way to share various home-made special meals for everybody to try. Plus, it lessens too much work for you, since you don’t have to prep a lot of dishes. You can also ask everyone to bring their own leftover containers in case they want to bring something home.
Make a special dish
Aside from the warm welcome you’ll be giving to everyone, preparing a special dish is one way of showing gratitude and appreciation to all the people you’re spending time with during this significant holiday.
And before eating, say a thanksgiving prayer. You can ask the kids to lead the prayer too.
Ask help from everyone
You can ask someone to clean up the table, or help you do the dishes, or set up the living room for the next activity. Ask the kids to serve dessert too. It’s one good way to teach kids how to interact and socialize with everyone.
Don’t be shy when asking for help. Doing so will keep everybody occupied and engaged, allowing conversations to flourish throughout the evening. This is also a way to not make them wait long enough for you to finish the chores before heading to the next activity.
Break the wishbone, with a fun twist
Thanksgiving Day won’t be complete without turkey as the main course - yum!
But don’t forget to set aside the wishbone when you first carve the turkey. After eating, prepare popsicle sticks and write names for each one.
Ask one representative to pick two names from the stick. The names that will be chosen are those who will break the wishbone.
Traditionally, people believe that the person who breaks the wishbone will have their wishes come true for the next year.
And since they are the winners for the wishbone, let them have the desserts first!
Write ‘thank you’ notes
Thanksgiving is all about appreciating and feeling grateful for what you have. So after dinner, give everyone pieces of paper and a pen for them to write a thank you note to each person in that room (if there aren’t too many people present).
Write all the things you feel thankful for each of the attendees in separate papers, then give it to them.
These notes will serve as a remembrance for another special day. It’s a genuine act that will also teach kids the value of gratitude and appreciation.
Family game
Make every moment fun by playing games with rewards. Have a separate prize for adults and kids, and make each game challenging but easy to execute.
Guessing games, board games, scavenger hunt, and family talent shows are some good examples.
TV marathon
After eating and playing games, there’s no doubt that everyone will soon be tired and full. While resting, play some Thanksgiving episodes of Friends, Gilmore Girls, or Bob’s Burgers.
You can also prepare popcorn or your homemade baked potato wedges for everyone to munch on, with a refreshing drink. This can somehow prevent them from falling asleep while enjoying the show.
Celebrate some bubbly
While everyone’s resting, or the kids are sleeping, pop some champagne or sparkling wine for a rich Thanksgiving celebration. It would be lovely if you have a charcuterie board prepared.
Celebration is not complete without chit chats over a bottle of wine or champagne. But remember to drink in moderation.
Send care packages
Now that winter and Christmas are coming, after celebrating Thanksgiving with your family and relatives, send meals and clothes donations to people who are in need. You can also ask everyone (before going to your Thanksgiving celebration) to bring anything they’d like to donate.
Sharing is caring, so share your blessings. It may seem little to you, but to people who are in need, it’s more than enough.
Have Thanksgiving trip with your family
Who says Thanksgiving is just for one day? Make the most out of it by going on a trip with your family the next day. An outdoor activity or spending time with nature will do just fine.
If you want something extra, rent an affordable cabin or woodhouse for an overnight trip, where you can all have the classic bonfire while eating s’mores.
“Thanksgiving is a time of togetherness and gratitude.”
Happy Thanksgiving from your Purely Optimal family!
Related Blogs: