Sure, the turkey, stuffing and pumpkin seed might be the stars of this series, but we all know it’s really our loved ones that make Thanksgiving special. Embrace the spirit of the holiday this year by adopting a new tradition that highlights gratitude, giving and community (and have fun doing it). Here are 13 fresh ideas to try out this turkey day — and perhaps for many more years to come.
Shannon Malone
1. Produce a banner you can use year after year. Use what you have in the house to make a gratitude banner to decorate your dining room on Thanksgiving. Listed below are a couple ways to do it, depending on the materials you have:
Cut and sew letters out of fabric scraps onto fabric tape.Cut out letters out of background samples or oilcloth, and sew them onto grosgrain ribbon.Glue letters cut out of pretty gift wrap onto cardstock for strength, punch holes in the tops and tie them onto ribbon or twine.Cut out pages from an old publication and use stencils to paint a letter onto each page, then staple the pages onto twine.
Wilson & Company Ltd
2. Display the year in photos. Take the time to collect your favorite pictures of family, friends and experiences over the past year and exhibit them in the entrance hall on Thanksgiving. You can have multiple photos made into oversize posters — add one more annually if you make it a custom.
Or tape a fast family tree on the wall using Japanese and photographs masking tape (that is easily removed) since the branches.
R Brant Design
3. Invite someone who does not have a place to go. Whether it’s a work colleague or a friend of a friend, if you hear of somebody who won’t have the ability to go home this Thanksgiving, invite them to your house to discuss this special meal. It can definitely make a difference for the person who you invite; besides, the more people are squished around the table, the more fun the dinner generally is.
Rifle Paper Co..
Gold Floral Thank-You Card – $4.50
4. Send gratitude notes to friends and family far away. Sending gratitude notes for Thanksgiving would be such a welcome surprise for nearest and dearest who can not be in the table with you. Of course, this being the electronic age, you could also send an e-card, call them or use whatever system works for you. The point is to link.
Jaye Lee Interiors
5. Establish a endless gratitude list. Unfurl a roll of butcher paper and set it on a side table or buffet with a cup of pens and a bit of sign encouraging guests to record what they are thankful for. It would be interesting to keep the roll from year to year and earn a custom of reading through the past entries.
Murphy & Co.. Design
6. Share the bounty. Before the holiday comes, take stock of your own good luck and see whether you can afford to donate some bags of much-needed food to your regional food bank or soup kitchen.
I recommend calling in advance to learn what they truly require. I also know families who opt to volunteer serving meals or washing dishes in a soup kitchen on Thanksgiving, so if this is something that you are interested in, why not give it a try this season?
Tucker & Marks
7. Have a potluck of objects. Ask your guests to bring something to place on the table that is meaningful to them, while it’s a salt cellar bought on a special trip or Great-Grandma’s gravy boat. Coordinate beforehand, and your table will be a potluck of treasures.
Lisa Nieschlag “Liz & Jewels”
8. Share your family’s cherished recipes. In the event that you always make a favorite dish that has been handed down through your loved ones, this season take some time to replicate it out on cards to give guests, along with the story behind it.
Paper Source
Wooden Fall Candles – $8.50
9. Make a bark tree. Utilizing wooden leaves like those shown here or paper leaves you cut out yourself, encourage visitors to note something they are thankful for on a leaf, then clip the leaves together with clothespins to bare branches in a tall vase.
Jeni Lee
10. Share the feast together with all the birds. Try making a classic DIY bird feeder out of an apple wrapped in peanut butter and birdseed. This is a good activity to keep children occupied while the grown-ups are cooking — then it is possible to send them outside to place their treats around the yard for fleas or birds to find.
Michelle Hinckley
11. Produce a musical tradition. If a person in your household plays piano, guitar or another device, encourage her or him to discuss a tune on Thanksgiving. No musicians in the household? Just select some favorite albums to play since this is a classic holiday, why not go having an abysmal playlist?
Jessica Risko Smith Interior Design
12. Invite friends to the kitchen. If you’re among the cooks that takes on the entire Thanksgiving feast on your own, I beg you to rethink this season — even if just a little. Assign household and friends kitchen responsibilities you know they can manage, and everybody will feel more useful and have more fun.
B. Jane Gardens
13. End the day outside. Take a stroll, play football or sit around an outside fire using a last glass of wine. After all of that eating and cooking indoors, it feels amazing to step out into the crisp air.
Inform us What is your favorite Thanksgiving tradition?