Thanksgiving Traditions 🦃🇺🇸🏈🥳
Ever feel like Thanksgiving revolves around eating too much, cleaning dishes and napping while watching football?
Well, never fear, with Thanksgiving about 2-weeks away, I’ve got just the thing to liven up your holiday 🍁🦃🍁
Thanksgiving, like most holidays, requires some preparation. Whether you’re hosting or guesting, you’ll spend some time thinking about cooking, travel plans and how to avoid one of the holiday’s most treasured pastimes: fighting with your family (ha ha ha, just kidding 🤣)
It’s been a year of hot-button issues perfect for the kind of discussion that begins with some eye-rolling, may escalate to yelling, and has the chance of ending in a food-fight scene made for TV.
Want to keep everyone on a positive note while you are together? I get you; me too! Today I’ll share some F-U-N activities you and the family can enjoy…. and, maybe even start a tradition or two 🥰
Before we get started, if you missed last week’s newsletter on, “Which is best, DST, Sunshine or Standard Time?”, you can use this link, Here.
Oh, and before I forget, don’t forget to call to see if you can get a seat for our Thanksgiving Cooking Class that happens T-O-D-A-Y 🥳
OK, let’s get inspired to have the best Thanksgiving EVER 🥳
What’s our secret to having the best Thanksgiving?
Our family won’t let us jump over Thanksgiving and straight into Christmas. They have too many fond memories and things they look forward to about the Holiday to just give it one huge Thanksgiving meal and sit watching football.
Below are some of the traditions we started as a family when some of the kids were little that you can easily implement into your own family celebration. Or you can start your own special activities that appeal to your family. Here’s some ideas 🦃💡🥳
THANKSGIVING MOVIE
We have a Thanksgiving movie. It is one of our family’s favorite movies and it never gets old. We laugh just as hard each time we watch it as the time before. Planes, Trains and Automobiles is the story of a man trying to get home from a business trip to his family for Thanksgiving. The amazing comic duo of Steve Martin and John Candy make for a movie that is quoted in our family throughout the year.
BOWLING
We often go bowling during Thanksgiving. Sometimes it’s Thanksgiving Eve or Thanksgiving night or the Friday after. It depends on when the most family will be together.
Consider having a floating trophy from year to year to pass on to the winner. I found one at a vintage market. You can have one made or keep your eye out for one at thrift shops and antique stores.
There are lots of fun ideas to decorate and play extra games while at the alley. You could even get shirts made or have everyone find a vintage one to wear. Have everyone go by the name on the shirt the whole time. If someone uses real names they could have a penalty. Give fun prizes 🏆
MACY’S THANKSGIVING DAY PARADE
Not everyone in the family loves watching the parade, but those that do, don’t want to miss a moment of this tradition. I’ve got ideas for an easy Parade breakfast in this egg casserole RECIPE. Enjoy 😋
TAKE A HIKE
A big family hike or walk after we eat is always a treat and it leaves more room to come back for pie!
TO THE THEATER
There is usually a family friendly movie coming out Thanksgiving week and we love to go see it together. A few years Grandma took the little ones to the newest cartoon, while the bigger people went to another show. But we still all went together and met up after.
Your family could also do a screening at home of a special newer movie or make watching one like Planes, Trains & Automobiles extra special with popcorn and treats. You could even watch outside depending on the weather. Have a harvest themed movie time with hay bale seats and plaid blankets.
THE ONE THING
For several years the one thing the cousins all couldn’t wait to do together was the Trampoline Park. Then there was a year we did indoor Go-Carts and another year Lazer Tag. Last year, they had a lot of fun doing an Escape Room Mystery. But no matter what the one thing was, it was something they didn’t get to do on a regular basis during real life days.
TURKEY TROT
For years when I was in college until I was a new dad our family would run the Turkey Trot. I know a lot of communities have a Turkey Trot Thanksgiving morning to participate in. We loved those runs so much!
FOOTBALL
A little outdoor touch football game is usually going on constantly throughout Thanksgiving Day in between watching games on TV. We all love football and enjoy playing or watching the fun!
Try Turkey Tag: If the weather permits, try a Thanksgiving version of flag tag to shake off the sluggishness often felt after a Thanksgiving meal. Each player wears three clothespins on their clothing. Participants run around trying to remove clothespins from competitors. This is an activity that combines the need to get moving with a healthy dose of competition.
THE BOTTOM LINE
“You know that just before that first Thanksgiving dinner there was one wise, old Native American woman saying, ‘Don’t feed them. If you feed them, they’ll never leave.’”
“Thanksgiving dinners take 18 hours to prepare. They are consumed in 12 minutes. Half-times take 12 minutes. This is not a coincidence.”
“A lot of Thanksgiving Days have been ruined by not carving the turkey in the kitchen.”
“If you stand in the meat section at the grocery store long enough, you start to get mad at turkeys. There’s turkey ham, turkey bologna, turkey pastrami. Someone needs to tell the turkey, ‘Man, just be yourself.'”
Hopefully these ideas have gotten you motivated to start some new traditions this Thanksgiving 🦃 It’s always fun to try new things and see what your group resonates with! The point being fun, positive energy, laughter and some type of movement!
If you need a laugh or two while you are making plans, you can always tune into this SNL favorite Thanksgiving skit to get you in the right mood 🤣
Does your group like to play games? If so, try some of THESE.
With Thanksgiving less than 2-weeks away, I’d love to hear about some of your family’s traditions! I’d also love to know if any of our ideas will become part of yours!
If you or any of your family members have health issues, make a point to come see me so that I can help!
To make an appointment with me use this link: HERE
Or, you can give me a call at (973) 210-3838
I want to hear from you! What are some of your Thanksgiving traditions? Did you find this newsletter helpful?
Share your thoughts in the comments on our
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