Pin - Wednesday: 15 New Thanksgiving Traditions

I don't know, nor have I looked up the normal Thanksgiving holiday traditions. I know which ones I grew up with and how we did Thanksgiving. I know that turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing (my favorite part) green bean casserole, DeeDee's pumpkin pie, and sweet tea were always served.

I know that in our new family consisting of Caleb and I (in 79 days!!!) I want to have holiday and just "in general" traditions that we do together, so that when we're old and gray we can look back on the years that we have done them and have those memories. I think part of the fun in having traditions is discussing them and what happened in the years before in the years to come.

So, without any real research (sorry) on the actual Thanksgiving holiday and other than what I already know; I looked up unusual and new Thanksgiving traditions. Here is what I came up with:

This one reminds me of Thankful Thursdays

Here are some ideas I have that I haven't actually done, but I think would be fun:

Write a Post-it note every day in November to each of your family members telling them a reason you are thankful for them. Hide them in their rooms, closets, lunch boxes, the bathroom mirror, etc.

Maybe instead of the table cloth, give each person their own placemat and have them write something they are thankful for each year. As your family grows add new placemats.

My family used to help a family to buy Christmas presents for every year that couldn't afford it or could just use some help (and we have been that family before) and you could do the same with Thanksgiving. Something I think needs much prayer, but would be awesome would be to put together cute baskets with a Thanksgiving meal (and some other dinners or non-perishable items) and a card explaining that because the Lord has blessed you so richly, you want to help be a part of His blessing others and you hope that this basket blesses them and that they know God was the one who provided it. PRAY over the basket(s) before you go hand them out or take them to a donation drop off that does this sort of ministry.

Go serve! Instead of the normal Thanksgiving with just your family go serve others. Our family went and served Thanksgiving dinner to a group of teenagers that had honestly just not had it easy and ended up in a home for kids who had been kicked out of their schools, jobs, and homes. BUT seriously! it was such a blessing hearing some of their stories, they just needed someone to listen to them or spend time with them, and be a little Jesus to them. That was a Thanksgiving I will probably never forget.

Read scripture together as a family. Find different verses that talk about being thankful or passages and give each person something to read aloud. Then pray those scriptures over one another and thank the Lord that you are all together to celebrate a wonderful time of thanksgiving in history, but even more importantly, thankful for Jesus. Use this time to reflect on what Jesus means to each of you and why you are thankful for Him.

Click the picture for a tutorial

My aunt had my cousins draw on plate when they were little and I'm not sure exactly how they made them, but it's basically the sharpie technique that is all over Pinterest right now. Have your kids draw on plates to use year after year. Bake them and then like my aunt did last year (now that all of us are in our 20's) she brought them back out and it was a funny conversation starter and fun to see. 

Write thank you notes to your parents, grandparents, siblings, best friends, etc. Tell them how thankful you are for them. These are often the most overlooked people to give cards to just for a "Thank You!" Use this as a time that you can tell them all the reasons you are thankful for them and love them.