When my oldest child was little, I didn’t put much thought into Thanksgiving family traditions. It was just the three of us and the work of cooking a full course meal seemed both overwhelming and unnecessary.
But as more children entered the mix and my kids got a little older, we realized that we could create our own family traditions for them. We could make memories and do things that would be repeated year after year. The older kids would tell the younger kids, “This is what we do every year…”
Over the last ten years, as we’ve watched our family grow to seven, we’ve built up our family traditions. Picking and choosing what works for us. And no time is this more apparent than at Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving is one of our favorite holidays as a family. And as much as we love food, that’s not really the reason. It’s our family traditions. We celebrate Thanksgiving together, extending the celebration throughout the weekend.
If you’re a young family that hasn’t started many traditions of your own yet, or a family that just wants to add to the celebration with your loved ones, I have some fun suggestions for great family traditions that you can share at Thanksgiving time.
And as you build your family’s traditions into a strong foundation, you’ll be thankful for the many memories you’ve created together.
10 Family Traditions to Include in Your Thanksgiving Celebration
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What are you Thankful for?
Thanksgiving is all about thankfulness, so why not have a fun activity to remind you? Cut up paper into small squares that can be folded and hand out three to everyone before dinner. Have them write one thing they are thankful for on each of the papers, put their name on it, fold it, and then place them all in a jar or basket.
After dinner, while you’re all digesting, hand around the basket and have everyone read a gratitude note and who it’s from. Celebrating with a feeling of gratitude will put the entire family in the spirit of the holiday.
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The Family that Cooks Together, Stays Together
Cooking for a lot of people can be overwhelming, and even steal some of the joy out of a great family get-together. To spread out the work and give everyone a chance to contribute, have each person in the family make a dish.
In my house, I am in charge of the turkey and pies. But my husband and the kids are the ones who handle the side dishes. And that’s a big help to me.
Even if your little ones are young, including them in the family dinner tradition will give them a sense of pride and connection—even if they are only spooning up vanilla ice cream for the apple pie. Don’t just share the eating of the Thanksgiving meal, share the making of it, too.
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Serve Others
Growing up, we had Thanksgiving at home on Friday. Why? Because on Thursday, my parents served Thanksgiving dinner to the homeless in our town. Us kids helped with set up and take down, and also watched our younger siblings. This was a great family tradition that took the focus off of us and put it on our community and those in need.
This year, start a family tradition of serving others. Whether it’s working at a soup kitchen or dropping off plates of cookies at your neighbors. Maybe it’s a visit to a nursing home or hospital. Whatever you choose, teach your children gratitude by letting them see their own blessings of family and home. And set them up for a lifetime of service by filling their hearts with giving now.
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Pick a Signature Movie
It’s not Thanksgiving until we’ve seen Snoopy making buttered toast and popcorn. My family loves Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang, just as I did as a child. Every Thanksgiving, after we’ve eaten and the leftovers are put away, we watch A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving and This is America, Charlie Brown (the Mayflower Voyagers). This is the perfect end to our Thanksgiving.
Get together as a family and choose a Thanksgiving-themed movie that you all love. Every year, you can unpack it, sit together while you enjoy a post-dinner coffee, and share in the laughs (or tears). This is also a nice low-key way to end what can sometimes be a hectic and busy day.
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Game on
I know plenty of families who center their Thanksgiving plans around the football games that are played on this day. I admit that I enjoy watching while I work in the kitchen. But besides just watching sports, why not take part? Get the family together and outside for some flag football. Play capture the flag. This is especially great when you have a houseful of kids asking, “When do we eat?”
If sports aren’t your family’s idea of a Thanksgiving family tradition, then consider board games. These classics are still around because they’ll always be fun. We love Ticket to Ride and The Game of Life. But Monopoly, Sorry, and Guess Who? are also great options. Break out the boards and set everyone up in the living room—so you can have some uninterrupted cooking time.
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Shop til You Drop
I know someone who, once dinner is over, brings out all the Black Friday ads and pours over them with her sisters. They strategize about where they’ll go and what they’ll get. Then, they head to bed so they can get up early and shop together.
I’m not a big Black Friday person myself, but I love that these sisters have a family tradition that they share every year. If some of your family loves shopping for deals the day after Thanksgiving, make it a tradition to do it together. Grab your pie and cookies and make a plan. Wrangle siblings and kids to join. And in the morning, brave the crowds as a family (or power up those laptops together).
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Start the Morning Right
We make a big deal out of Thanksgiving dinner, but what about the rest of the meals? I love the tradition of a special morning-of breakfast to start the day off right. This is especially wonderful if you have visiting family or friends staying with you. Pick something to serve that’s fun and special, but not too labor-intensive—after all, you are going to be preparing a big meal later in the day.
I love cinnamon rolls because the dough can be prepped the day before, so all you have to do is pop them in the oven and ice them. Pancakes, muffins, omelets, and fruit platters are also great morning treats. I’m sure your family will have some ideas to share as well!
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Be Our Guest
Thanksgiving is a time for family, both blood relatives and the family we choose. Sharing a meal brings us closer together. Are there any people in your life who are spending Thanksgiving alone? Maybe you can invite them to be a guest at your Thanksgiving table this year.
Inviting co-workers, friends, and acquaintances who don’t have family or friends to share the holiday with is a great way to share our blessings with others. If you have the gift of hospitality, this is the perfect way to utilize it. As an added benefit, by bringing in a new person, your Thanksgiving dinner conversation will be more varied and fun. Make this a family tradition, inviting adults and kids alike (some have parents who work on Thanksgiving), sharing your food, but also your fellowship.
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Siesta time
Thanksgiving is pretty intense, especially when you are cooking for a big group. My suggestion? Make a midday siesta one of your family traditions.
A little quiet time in the midst of the hubbub will be a welcome respite. It will also allow you to serve dinner and spend time with your family and guests refreshed and gracious. Frazzled and tired is not a good look for anyone. So, consider adding nap time to your Thanksgiving celebration. Take an hour or two to rest, read, pray, or take a bath. This time for yourself will fill you up so that you can pour life and light into the people around you all day.
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Step Out
Thanksgiving dinner has just ended and everyone is thinking about pie. Until they remember how much they ate and then they groan. Rushing into dessert will likely just send your family into a food coma, so maybe the family tradition you should add to your Thanksgiving celebration should be an after-dinner walk.
I love taking walks as a family, and after a big meal, this is a great way to shake off the lethargy of dinner and digest. Explore your neighborhood, reveling in the colorful leaves falling to the ground and your neighbors fall decorations. Watch the sun set or stargaze, depending on what time you eat. And then head back home for a hot coffee to warm you up and some delicious desserts.
Thanksgiving family traditions are a special part of this American holiday. I love this season for its themes of gratitude and family. I hope you enjoy some of these fun family activities this year—and for many years to come.
Happy Thanksgiving!
What family traditions are a part of your Thanksgiving celebration? I’d love to hear about them in the comments!
Looking for more on Thanksgiving and family? Try these posts:
10 Ways to Show Gratitude this Thanksgiving
How to Manage Holiday Stress & Spend Less
[Disclaimer: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. This post contains affiliate links. So, if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a commission, at no additional cost to you. All opinions are my own and I never recommend anything I haven’t used myself and loved.]
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