Unique Family Thanksgiving Traditions

This weekend I was talking to another mom about traditions. She told me her favorite holiday is Thanksgiving. One of her son’s is named Sam so every year on Thanksgiving morning they read Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss. And then they actually eat green eggs and ham. I thought that sounded like such a great tradition.

Typical Thanksgiving traditions include a big family feast of turkey (although it was always ham for us since very few in my family like turkey), mashed potatoes, corn, biscuits, and cranberries along with apple and pumpkin pie. Some families spend the morning watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade (either in person or on TV). Other, like my husband who has been a Cowboy’s fan since he was 3-years-old, plop themselves in front of the television for a day of football.

But I love to hear about family traditions that are unique to individual families. Things like:

• Making a wish and breaking the wishbone.
• Going around the table and having each family say what they are thankful for.
• Cuddling up and reading Thanksgiving books together.
• Making a Thanksgiving scrapbook.
• Presenting mom with an Apron of Thanks.
• Or creating a big Thanksgiving turkey of thanks.
• After the big meal sit down together and reminisce about past Thanksgivings.
• Adopt a family and create a food basket for them.
• Volunteer together as a family at a local food bank.
• Take a family photo. It’s fun to see how much everybody has changed throughout the years.
• Read the first Thanksgiving story.
• Or better yet, reenact the first Thanksgiving.
• Start your own annual family Thanksgiving day football game.
• Make a “Count Your Blessings” Christmas ornament.

What unique Thanksgiving traditions do you and your family have?

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