How to Choose a New Thanksgiving Tradition for Your Family

November is here with the grey branches of maple trees reaching heavenward and once-vibrant fields of wildflowers wielding frost-burned tufts in unison.  We pull the Thanksgiving decorations from the basement shelves and start thinking about instituting a new and meaningful Thanksgiving tradition for our family.

It seems appropriate that this month of transition is also culturally known as the month for giving thanks. We are often most desperately in need of reminders to practice gratitude when the tides are shifting in our lives.  November has always felt like a changing of the tides for me.

November is the time when the kids bound from the bus wearing feathers in their hair and carrying paper Pilgrim hats. Pumpkins and hay bales adorn neighborhood stoops.  Our hearts overflow with gratitude for what is good, and all the while, we brace ourselves for the onslaught of winter.

How to Choose a New Thanksgiving Tradition

As we aim to establish this month as a time for giving thanks in our home, I’ve been combing through resources in search of some family-friendly Thanksgiving traditions. I’m sharing some of my favorites today. Our family is strongly steeped in tradition at other times of the year, but what better holiday to richly embrace than a holiday built around giving thanks?

Here are seven very ideas to inspire your family to start a new Thanksgiving tradition this year:

Begin the Thanksgiving Tradition of Gratitude Stones

Decorate small stones with either paint or a Mod Podge painted over tissue paper.  These stones are reminders to give thanks and can be used in this way: Pass a stone around the dinner table, and the person holding the stone thinks of a reason to give thanks; share them with friends and include a note about why you’re thankful for that person; write words on the stones and collect them in a jar to show what you are grateful for as a family.

Create Gratitude Crosses

Gratitude Crosses are a great way to remember that we are most thankful for the work of Christ in our lives.  Purchase a gratitude cross kit or make one on your own using foam or paper cut-outs according the attached link.  The premise is this: Decorate a small cross with reasons to give thanks and hang it as a decoration.  Get as creative as you wish.

Start the Thanksgiving Tradition of Gratitude Trees

This is a fun idea for the outdoor lovers, and it’s a great way to collect many reasons for gratitude. Either create a tree silhouette and tape it to the wall or use real tree branches in a vase or pot.  Tape or hang paper cut-out leaves on the tree and write reasons to give thanks on the leaves.  This link for a Thankful Tree is a helpful example.

Begin the Thanksgiving Tradition of Playing Gratitude Games

For families who thrive on activities instead of crafts, Gratitude Games are a great Thanksgiving tradition to remind everyone that it is a season for giving thanks.  The link above is designed to help families give thanks together by playing Pick-up Sticks and giving thanks based on the color of stick.

Hang a Give Thanks Garland

If a gratitude tree isn’t your thing, or if your toddler insists on pulling the tree over and chewing on the branches, make your own Give thanks garland and write your reasons to give thanks on the leaves.

Embark on 30 Days of Gratitude

The 30 days of gratitude printout will guide you in a way to practice gratitude every day of the month.  We’re called to give thanks in all circumstances, and this tool is a useful way of applying the call to our lives daily.

Begin the Thanksgiving Tradition of Opening Your Home

Consider inviting friends over to share in the traditions. Host a neighborhood fall picnic on a sunny evening.  Write notes to friends and tell them why you’re thankful for them, and intentionally aim to give thanks for those who live under your own roof.  It’s easy to overlook those closest to us. (For a list of easy ways to show hospitality, check out this post.)

Calling all moms and daughters—and parents of boys!

As the parent of two sons and a daughter, I have a heart for helping parents develop deeper relationships with their children and with God.  Our kids, ages 6, 11, and 14, share this vision.  They have helped me write three family devotionals for parents or grandparents to read with the children they care about.

God’s Warrior: Devotions for Boys Who Want to Grow in Courage and Strength is for boys ages 5-13.  Now, more than ever, our world needs men who are willing to courageously carry God’s love into the world.  Written with input from our two young sons, Aiden and Caleb, ages six and eleven, this book will help the boys you care about find courage and strength in God.  Find this life-changing devotional book here.

Devotionals for Girls

Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith is written for girls ages 7-12. It includes 60 devotions with Scripture, conversation starters, and a shared journaling section for moms and daughters after each devotion.  I wrote this book with the help of our daughter, Bekah, when she was eleven.  Find this one-of-a-kind shared devotional here.

Heart to Heart: A Mother-Daughter Devotional With 50 Devotions for Teen Girls is for teenage girls ages 13-20.  It includes 50 devotions, each with a shared journaling section to help moms and daughters connect through writing.  This is a great book for moms who want to communicate about awkward topics—like dating, sexuality, peer pressure, and more—but don’t know where to start.  Bekah and I will help you right here.

All three books are available in print and eBook form here on Amazon.  They are also free on the Kindle Unlimited plan, which you can enjoy with a free three-month trial!  These books make great gifts, and you don’t need to be the parent of young children to read them.  Share them with your grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or the young ones you love.

Learn Why Willpower Doesn’t Work and Experience God’s Deliverance and Healing

God wants to work in your life to accomplish what you’ve been unable to do through willpower alone.  Lean Into Grace: Let God’s Grace Heal Your Heart, Refresh Your Soul, and Set You Free shares practical ways to experience God’s freedom, healing, power, and presence in your life.  Find this life-changing book as a free eBook on Kindle Unlimited or for 12.99 in print right here.  (If you do not have Kindle Unlimited, you can try it out with a free three-month trial!) This book will transform your life and revitalize your relationship with the Lord!