In the midst of all the stress that comes along with celebrating Thanksgiving every year, sometimes it is easy to forget what we are even thankful for in our lives.
Between the endless cooking, family obligations, the endless cleaning and then stomachs so full you can not even walk-Thanksgiving quickly becomes a dreaded day.
But there are some traditions you can’t live without like that corn casserole which is the reason you can’t walk in the first place. Traditions are what make your family unique. It is the glue that holds the family together and it can be the saving grace between a great Thanksgiving and a bad one.
I remember as newlyweds, it was hard to celebrate holidays because of the two different backgrounds and families pulling us every direction. The key to survival is to find the traditions that are important to you as a couple and then live them out.
Here are a few Thanksgiving traditions I know we could not live without.
Family Football Game
Both my husband and I grew up in families where sports were important. Therefore a family football game is traditional of Thanksgiving. It is also great to include those friends who are like family as well. No family bonds better than competing for the coveted Turkey Bowl Trophy. So what if it is a plastic trophy that was bought for a dollar from a party store. It was won fair (o.k. maybe not so fairly) and square! It comes with bragging rights for the whole year. What better family tradition is that?
Seriously, it has been a joy to watch my son grow up with this tradition. To watch his uncles hand him the football and pretend to be chasing him and missing him as he runs in for a touchdown. This was exciting to him at two and even more exciting today!
The game also allows you to work up an appetite and pre-burn some of those endless calories before the big meal. It also allows you less guilt as you take that extra piece of pie.
Handprint Turkeys
So remember the handprint turkeys you made as a kid and now get a ton brought home. We make a family of handprint turkeys every year. These are great because it is an art project in which the whole family can get involved with it. Through the years, the kids have really enjoyed looking back on our creations.
Awesome Table Décor
Speaking of kids’ artwork, I once saw this idea in a FamilyFun magazine and it has made and awesome tradition. We take all the kids’ artwork from school and those still at home. Then we go to a local teacher store and have them laminate to form the tablecloth. We sometimes put it on top of those dollar plastic tablecloths to make sure it is the right size-other times we just chance it. We then put it across the table so others can see the artwork as well as it is preserved. We also get out the construction paper, sequins, glitter, etc. and make place settings as a crafty lead up to the big day.
Cook As A Family
My kids love to be involved so there are some treats and sides that they can help me cook. One dessert is making turkeys out of Ritz crackers, chocolate icing, Hershey kisses and candy corn. Allow the child to smooth the icing on the cracker. Then arrange candy corn on the back edge of the cracker to form tail feathers. Place a Hershey kiss in front of the feathers to form a turkey. For older kids, you can even have a dab of icing on top of the kiss with another candy corn stuck to it for a beak for the turkey. The kids will just like creating. They don’t have to look perfect.
Family Prayer Time
Instead of just listing the things we are thankful for this year, we then go to God in prayer as a family. It is nice to hear your kids talk to God. On a side note, just last night my daughter asked God to heal her doll Abigail because she was sick. It was hard not to keep from laughing as we all heard of her pretend illness. But it made me think that God must love the prayers of three year olds. Thanksgiving allows us to once again offer thanks to God who is responsible for every blessing we do have at any time of the year.
These are just a few traditions. I would love to hear about yours as well. Feel free to leave great ideas or meaningful traditions in the comments! Happy Thanksgiving!
